We Meet Again
by SINGACTWRITE123
Summary: Meredith and Derek are in a car accident and Meredeith goes into a coma. She sees someone she hasn't seen in a while- George. Strangely, it begins to bring everyone closer. Will Meredith ever come out of the coma?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy or any of it's characters **

"Derrick," Meredith whined. "Where are we going?"

Derrick rolled his eyes at her impatience. "Mer, I already told you. It's a surprise."

"Why are you doing this?" Meredith asked, staring out the window.

He had insisted on taking her out, but refused to tell her where they were going to.

He forced her into the car and ignored her pouting.

"Why won't you just tell me?" Meredith demanded.

"Because you could use a surprise. It'll be good for you."

Derrick turned towards her and flashed a smile. "Stop that!" Meredith warned.

"Stop what?"

"Giving me that look! You expect that just by looking at me like that I'll do whatever you want. You're trying to dazzle me."

"So you're saying it's bad to smile lovingly at my wife."

Meredith tried not to smile but failed miserably. "You're not as dark and twisty as you think you are," Derrick said.

He chuckled slightly and Meredith laughed as well.

"Come on, where are you taking me?" Meredith asked, shooting him sad eyes.

"Fine," he groaned. "I'm taking you to-

Derrick was cut off, mid- sentence as the car slid over black ice and spun out of control. Meredith shrieked and Derrick shouted as the car crashed into a tree. The car basically folded around the front of the tree.

The airbags had stuffed Derrick and Meredith back into their seats as glass shattered and landed in the car.

Derrick inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath. His hand reached up and touched his face right beneath his nose. He pulled his hand away and found blood on it.

"Meredith!" he gasped. "Are you alright?"

_No answer_.

"Meredith!" Derrick yelled, pushing the airbag away and turning to see her.

Her eyes were shut and she was covered in blood.

Derrick climbed over the seat and reached for Meredith's neck. She had a pulse. But it was weak. He desperately reached for his cells phone, but couldn't get to it.

Rain began to pour through the broken wind shield. A car's light shined on Derrick's tear stained face.

"Mer," he whispered.

Meredith gasped as she found herself in the same limbo type word she did last time she died.

"Crap!" she muttered as she sat straight up. "I'm dead?"

"No," a familiar voice said. "You're in a coma."

But she fell silent as her eyes rested upon the one watching her this time.

It wasn't Denny, it wasn't that Bonny patient, not her mom's friend, and not the one who died from the bomb. It wasn't even her mom.

There was only one person there who Meredith stopped breathing when she saw him.

"George?!" she gasped.


	2. Chapter 1: A Few Surprises

"George?" she gasped.

She didn't have to think twice before jumping off of the bed and running up to embrace her long lost friend. His arms were hesitant but they wrapped around her. And then they tightened and he just held her for a moment. He had missed her too. But he knew that she needed to get back to where she belonged.

George then realized that Meredith was sobbing into his shoulder. "Oh my… it's… you… you're… George!" Meredith sobbed.

George rubbed her back slightly before moving his hands to her shoulders and slowly prying her away. Meredith was never very emotional. But she couldn't help but cry.

"How are you Meredith?"

Meredith looked up into George's brown eyes. His hair was shaved and he wore an army outfit.

"You got hit by a bus," Meredith whispered. "You were hit and dragged by a freaking bus! You died!"

"The last person I saw was Izzie," he said. "When she coded."

Meredith was speechless. She didn't know what to say. "C-can you come back to l-life?" she stuttered, through her slowly stopping sobs.

"No," George said. "That'd be sort of weird."

"So am I dying? Am I going to heaven this time? You do know that this has happened to me before don't you? You know, when I drowned."

"I know," George sighed. "I know a lot of things."

Meredith shrugged out of George's hold on her shoulders and wrapped her arms around him again.

"I can't believe I am standing here with you," Meredith whispered. "I mean I was at you funeral. And that did not go the way I planned. We all had a nervous breakdown and-

"You were laughing," George finished her sentence. "I watched from up here. You had me laughing too."

Meredith nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.

* * *

Derrick woke up inside an ambulance. The siren was heard. Everything was bright, too bright. Derrick coughed and his eyes frantically searched for Meredith.

"Welcome back Dr. Shepherd," the ambulance said.

"Where's Meredith?" Derrick asked.

He remembered seeing the bright lights of the car behind him while he sat there, stretched over both his seat and Meredith, checking her injuries with his hand that wasn't broken. She was bloody, there was glass in her face which was smeared with blood, she looked like she had a dislocated shoulder, and probably a few broken ribs. But as he was looking over her he suddenly became dizzy and his eyes rolled back into his head, causing the world to go dark as he fell onto Meredith's bloody body.

"Excuse me?" the guy who worked in the ambulance said.

"My wife, Meredith! Where is she?"

"Oh, she was taken in another ambulance."

"W-what's wrong with her? How bad are her injuries?"

"They seem pretty bad. She's definitely got some broken ribs, her shoulder's dislocated, she'll need some stitches, and there may be more."

"Oh God!"

"They'll do their best to save her. But you need to stay calm. You've already lost too much blood. That's why you passed out before."

That was the last thing Derrick heard before he blacked out again.

* * *

"So what happened?" Meredith questioned, after she caught her breath.

"Think back," George said. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Meredith thought hard. "I was with Derrick. He wanted to surprise me." She gasped with the sudden realization. "Derrick!" she shrieked. "Is he alright? Oh my God! Is he okay? Where is he?"

"Shh, shh, relax," George shushed her. "He's alright. Just a few broken bones. But Mer, you're seriously hurt."

Meredith was speechless at the sound of hearing George say _Mer_. He used to call her that. She thought back to the good old days. But that was gone now. "How badly am I hurt?"

"You have three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, a broken leg, you have gashes in your head from the glass. And they don't know it yet, but you have some bad brain damage. You are in a coma."

"No," Meredith whispered. "So will I die?"

"That hasn't been decided yet," George said.

Then something strange happened the same it did with Bonnie.

George groaned and cried out as his face began to turn red and his skin peeled. Blood ran down his face and he fell to the ground. His entire body began to ache, bones broke again, and Meredith watched in horror.

"George!" she shrieked.

She got down onto her knees and tried to stop the bleeding by dabbing it with her white shirt that she wasn't wearing when she was in the crash.

George began to shake uncontrollably. Meredith reached down and felt for a pulse. But he had none. Whether already dead or not Meredith refused to let him die again.

She reached down to his shaking body and started pushing his chest with her hands. "Come on George," she muttered.

She leaned over and tilted his head up, making sure his airway was open, and blew air into his mouth. She listened for a pulse and then began pumping his chest again.

"George!" Meredith screamed as he disappeared from under her hands.

The blood that covered both the ground and Meredith disappeared. Mer was left with nothing but silence. "George no!"

"There's nothing you can do for him now," a voice came from behind her. "He's already dead Meredith. Even if you got his heart beating again you couldn't bring him back to earth. He'll be back. Don't worry."

Meredith turned around. "Mom?" she whispered.

Her mom walked up to her slowly and reached a hand towards her. Meredith hesitated before reaching for her mom's hand and then gasping at how familiar her touch was.

She stood up and embraced her quickly. Although they had never gotten along great on earth, when they said goodbye in the limbo world before Mer went back to earth they had shared a moment.

"I miss you," Meredith said. "I found your diaries. I read them. I gave them to Richard."

"Did you?" Ellis asked.

"He's not chief anymore."

"Your husband is. You are very lucky to have him."

"I know. That's why I _have_ to get back to him."

"You can't do that just yet," Ellis told her.

"Why?"

"Because you are pretty close to dead down there."

"Well what am I supposed to do mom?" Mer whispered.

"You're just going to have to be patient and wait."

"But this isn't fair!" Meredith cried, pulling away from Ellis. "I have to be with Derrick. I can't live without him."

"Technically you're basically already dead Meredith! So calm down!"

Ellis wasn't angry at Meredith. She was more worried than anything. She knew what it was like to be in love. She had had Richard.

Meredith was hyperventilating, her hands clutched up at her chest, and trying desperately to breathe.

"Meredith pull yourself together!" Ellis ordered.

"I c-can't."

"Yes you can," another voice said.

Meredith turned around. "Denny?" she questioned. "Where is George? Where did he go?

"Where we all go when this happens to us. He'll be back soon."

Just then George appeared at the other side of the room. "George? You're back!"

* * *

Christina stood in the front of the hospital, eating a bag of chips. She had the phone clutched between her shoulder and her ear. _Ring, ring, ring, ring_.

The answering machine came on after four rings. _"Hi, this is Meredith. Sorry I can't get to the phone right now. Please leave a message and I'll call you back soon."_ In the answering machine Meredith could be heard laughing, clearly caused by Derrick.

Christina rolled her eyes. _Beep_.

Christina had just stuffed a chip in her mouth. "Mer!" she shouted through the mouthful of chips. "Answer your freaking phone! What if it was an emergency? What if you were paged?" she swallowed the chips and they scratched her throat since she hadn't chewed them very well. "Listen, I get you are on your date with Derrick. But your best friend needs you! Owen asked me to move in with him! What should I do? I need advice. You got that? Advice! Now advise me on what to do!"

She slammed her phone shut and stuffed another chip in her mouth.

She reached into the chip bag but there were none left. "Crap!" she hissed under her breath.

But her attention was then pulled to her pager which was going off.

"Finally," she muttered. "I need a surgery."

She turned and ran to where she needed to go, throwing away the trash on the way there.

When she got to where the ambulance would arrive she found Miranda Bailey waiting.

The ambulance pulled up then. "What have we got?" Bailey asked.

The woman from the ambulance was pulling out the gurney. "Thirty one year old Meredith Grey. Her car went over black ice…

Christina and Bailey froze at the name while the other doctors began to pull out the gurney. Alex and Lexie walked outside then and froze. The next ambulance was pulling up as Owen came out.

But all Christina could focus on was her friend.

**Review please!**


	3. Chapter 2: Closer 2 You

**Please continue to review and I will continue to update**

**Chapter 3**

Izzie slowly woke to the sun shining onto her closed eyelids. She groaned and opened her eyes, angry that her wonderful dream where she was still with Alex had ended. It was a morning just like any other. Ever since she left she would sleep in and promise that the next day she would apply for a job. She would say that she just never got to it. She barely ever spoke to any of her old friends anymore. She slowly rolled to the edge of the bed in her old room at her mom's house and climbed out of bed. She folded the comforter back up and walked to the door. She rubbed her eyes and pushed her knotted hair out of her eyes.

She didn't really feel like herself anymore. All she had left of who she really was was the memories of her old life.

As she walked out of the room she caught her mom in the hallway talking on the phone. "She's sleeping," she heard her mom say.

"Mom," Izzie said, letting her know that she was up. When her mom turned to her she had sad eyes. "What's wrong?" Izzie demanded.

Her mom just handed her the phone. Izzie accepted the phone hesitantly and said, "Hello?" into the receiver. She said it like a question.

"Izzie!" it was Alex. He sounded worried. Izzie new something wasn't right.

"Alex what's wrong?" Izzie asked, a little confused.

"It's Meredith."

* * *

Derrick's eyes fluttered open and he found himself in a white room. He had been here before, but he was usually on the other side of the bed. For a moment he had to wonder how exactly he got there. But then he thought back and the bloody memories flooded back into his mind.

He gasped and the heart monitor's beeping sounded through the room faster and faster. A nurse walked in then. "Welcome back Chief Shepherd," the nurse said. "How are you feeling?"

He ignored her question. "Where is Meredith?" he demanded.

"Your wife was taken into surgery."

"Why?"

"She has some serious brain damage," the nurse said. "They took her into surgery immediately. We'll let you know if anything happens."

Derrick's eyes widened and he reached for the needles and wires that were hooked up to him and tried to pull them off. The nurse put her hand on his arm and shook her head. "You need to stay calm."

"Let me go! I'm a nuro surgeon! I should be in that operating room!" Derrick yelled.

"You are in no shape to be doing surgery," the nurse said, calmly.

"I am the Chief. You are to listen to me-

"Derrick!" a voice sounded from the door. "Stop!"

It was Mark. He looked worried. "I just heard," he said. "Are you alright?"

"No! If Meredith doesn't make it I won't either."

"She'll be okay."

"You don't know that!"

"I do," Mark said.

"How?"

"She drowned and was technically dead for over an hour. She survived that. She can survive this."

"This is all my fault," Derrick said, and started hyperventilating.

"Derrick Shepherd this is not your fault! You did nothing wrong!"

"She didn't want to go to dinner! I made her go!" Derrick gasped for air.

"Derrick calm down," Mark commanded.

Derrick let the tears fall down his face. "Go check on Meredith."

"What?" Mark asked.

"Please go see how she is doing!"

Mark sighed and nodded before leaving the room.

* * *

"What am I going to do?" Meredith cried.

She and George were sitting on the floor and talking. Her mom had disappeared clutching her chest only a few minutes ago. And Denny had left them to be alone.

"All you _can_ do is wait," George said.

Meredith nodded. "I wish you hadn't died," Meredith whispered, resting her head on George's shoulder. "I miss you. Izzie misses you. I can tell that even Christina and Alex miss you. And Callie had a break down. I was in the room. I watched when Derrick's face just fell. I knew that face. There was nothing more he could do."

"I know," George said, wrapping his arm around Mer's shoulder. "I know a lot. I see things from up here. And I know about Callie and that Arizona girl. It's sort of weird. I hadn't seen it coming. Heck, we were married."

Meredith giggled, a smile finally lighting her feature. "I miss you too Mer," George said. "I'm always there with you. I watch over you. Whether you can see me or not, I'm still there with you. That's the way it'll always be there."

Meredith nodded and wiped away the tears beginning to form in her eyes.

George missed her smile and was determined to get it back. "Although," he said. "I was always sure that you would go first."

Meredith laughed and punched his arm. It was so strange being able to joke together again. Meredith quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged herself close to her friend.

"You know," she said. "I may not be so far behind."

* * *

Alex paced around outside at the front of the hospital. It was raining, but he didn't care. It helped cover the fact that he was crying. He wasn't really one to get emotional, no matter what the case, but too much had gone wrong in his life lately. O'Malley had died. Alex always told himself how horrible he was, but the truth was he was really a nice guy. Plus his wife left him because she convinced herself that he got her fired. Then after sleeping with Lexie grey of all people Izzie came back. And he had sent her away again.

And then out of nowhere Meredith, one of his closest friends and his roommate was in a car accident and had brain damage. Mark Sloan had told him that the last time he checked Meredith wasn't doing so well, and that he needed to prepare himself. When he had run outside he had caught the look on Christina's face. It was blank. She had absolutely _no_ emotion.

Read had seen him running out and called after him, trying to see if he was okay. But he ignored her. He had started to like her, but he realized that he couldn't trust _anyone_ from Mercy West.

When Alex had called Izzie that morning she had hung up. It sounded like she dropped the phone out of shock, but he wasn't sure.

He didn't even know why he called her in the first place. He just figured that Meredith was her friend to and that she deserved to know. Some voice inside his head reminded him that he might have also just wanted to hear her voice. But Alex shoved it away, telling it that Izzie was just a thing of the past.

"Alex!" a voice called from behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Meredith had been in surgery all day. And now he could make out a figure in the dark.

"Izzie?" he questioned.

As the figure came closer he saw that it really was her. She wore a long coat and gloves and her hair hung sloppily from her head. But she was just as beautiful as ever.

Izzie began to run towards him but slipped on the wet ground beneath her feet. She screamed and landed in Alex's arms. That was all Alex needed to remind of how much he missed holding her. He pulled her to him at once and wrapped his arms around her and crashed his lips to hers. At the moment he didn't know what it meant. All he knew was that he never wanted to let her go again.

* * *

Lexie entered the hospital and saw Mark looking sadly at his charts. She newly dyed blond hair was tied back behind her head.

"Mark," she said. "Is everything alright?"

"Hey Lex," he said sadly. "How are you holding up?"

"Excuse me?" Lexie asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Your sister," Mark reminded her.

"What about my sister? What happened?" Lexie gasped. "What's wrong with Meredith?"

"You didn't hear?" Mark asked, shocked at her lack of knowledge.

"No!" Lexie nearly yelled.

Mark pulled Lexie slowly towards the nearest chairs. She sat down and he sat in the one next to her. "Meredith has been in a horrible accident."

* * *

Derrick couldn't take it anymore. His wife was in surgery and Mark hadn't updated him like he had promised to.

Derrick began to reach for the I.V. again when Christina walked into the room slowly. "I wouldn't pull those out if I were you," she warned him.

"Why are you here?" Derrick asked.

Christina ignored his question. "How are you?" she asked.

Derrick knew then that she wasn't herself. She was being too… polite.

"My wife's in surgery probably dying. How do you think," Derrick mumbled.

Christina shook her head. "I don't know why I'm here actually. I'm sorry. I just need someone to talk to."

"Where's Owen?" Derrick asked.

"He's helping in her surgery."

"Do you know how she's doing by any chance?" Derrick asked.

Christina looked away. "Not well," she murmured before turning and leaving the room again.

* * *

George vanished yet again in front of Meredith, the same way he had last time.

Now she was alone and afraid. "Hello!" she called. "Anybody here?"

"Yes," a deep voice answered from behind her.

Meredith gasped and turned around. "Denny," she sighed, relieved that someone she knew was there with her.

"Hey," Denny smiled a half smile.

"Izzie has been seeing you. I mean her brain tumor has been making her see you."

"And I've been allowed down to earth for her only. She could really see me. I was _really_ there."

Meredith didn't know what else to say besides, "When will George be back?"

"Soon," Denny said. "He really is a nice guy."

"I know," Mer said. "So I was wondering, can you find a way to bring him back to life."

Denny shook his head and chuckles slightly. "It can't happen Meredith, I'm sorry. Besides, didn't you already ask him?"

Mer nodded. "I just really miss him. If I do live and go back to earth will I at least get to see him again first?"

"Probably," Denny smirked.

"Hopefully," Meredith sighed.

She began to feel something strange happening. A strange light surrounded around her and Denny was no longer visible.

"Denny?" Meredith yelled. "Mom?" she called. "George! What's happening? I want to go back to earth. I need to see Derrick! I _have_ to see Derrick! George help me!" The light got brighter. "Derrick!"

* * *

Derrick had grown too impatient and immediately began to pull the I.V. and the wires off of him. He ignored the pain of the bones that he had broken- two ribs, his left elbow, and his right leg in three places. He limped out of the room and used the wall for support. He walked all the way to the O.R. surgical board and went to the O.R. that it said she was in. "Hey Shepherd!" he heard a nurse yell, and he heard feet coming after him but he ignored her and went into the O.R.

He grabbed a mask as he walked through the door just in time to see Meredith's bloody body coding.

The beeping sound that should have been coming from her heart machine was only a loud straight beep.

"No!" Derrick yelled.

Everyone turned to stare at him. "Someone get him out of here!" Owen yelled.

Derrick began hyperventilating, but what nobody realized was that seeing Meredith coding was not the only reason that Derrick's breath grew short, enough so he could hardly breathe. He sucked in a large breath which he could hardly feel enter his lungs before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the floor.

* * *

**A/N: Please, please, please review. **

**If you have suggestions, complaints, or you just want to say something about the story then review.**

**When you update it encourages me to keep going. **

**Review and I'll update.**


	4. Chapter 3: Don't Go Towards The Light

**Disclaimer: S. R. owns Grey's anatomy and all of it's characters**

**A/N: Just so everyone knows I have been spelling Derek wrong. I've been spelling it D-e-r-r-i-c-k. LOL. Oh well, I'm fixing it.**

**Chapter 3**

Meredith stood in the middle of the light that surrounded her.

"Help!" she shrieked. "Help!"

If it was even possible the light got brighter.

"Help!" Meredith cried, trying to run through the light. But it just engulfed her even more. Everyone always said _don't go towards the light_, but this was ridiculous. The light seemed to find her.

Meredith let out a shriek. The light was so think she could hardly move.

Suddenly a dark figure appeared before her. Meredith screamed as the tears ran down her face. And the dark figure became clearer.

* * *

The nurse who had been chasing after Derek ran up to him and felt his pulse. "His pulse is weak and he's having trouble breathing!" she yelled. "And is heart beat is all over the place!"

Owen had his hands on Meredith's chest, trying to pump her heart and get it started again. Owen cursed under his breath. "You," Owen said, pointing at an intern. "Run out and get help."

She nodded and scurried out of the O.R. quickly.

* * *

Izzie didn't know how much time had passed as she stood with Alex in the parking lot as they kissed and held each other tightly.

Izzie's mind was practically in some other world. All she could think about was Alex. An image of Alex when they first met poked it's way into her mind. She remembered meeting the other interns. She remembered seeing Alex, Christina, George, and…

Izzie gasped and pulled away. "Meredith," she whispered.

"What?" Alex asked.

"I came here to see Meredith. She could _die_ Alex and we are here in the middle of the parking lot making out like two crazy love sick animals! Alex you told me to leave! You didn't want me back when I realized how stupid I'd been. And I _left_ you! Have you forgotten about that? I came back once wanting to make things right and you sent me away. I came here for Meredith…

Izzie broke off, looking away, tears stinging behind her eyes, begging for escape.

"Iz," Alex whispered.

Izzie put up a hand, telling him she just wanted silence. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again they were filled with tears.

"You know what Izzie… I can't do this anymore! I can't deal with these freaking mood swings. _You _left_ me_. You are lucky I am even forgiving you."

"You shouldn't forgive me because I'm not sorry. What is wrong with you? Yes, I did leave you. You can't just go around kissing people like that. You can't go around _sleeping_ with Lexie Grey every time the two of you are horny."

"What is it any of your business anyway? You left me! I had no rights to stay with you anymore."

"We are still technically married Alex!"

"Then I'll get a divorce!" Alex yelled, turning and stomping back into the hospital.

Izzie watched after him and her expression changed as she realized what had just happened.

"What the _hell_ did I just do?" she whispered.

* * *

Callie was sitting in the lobby of the hospital. The day had been long and boring. There was not much excitement in the hospital. Callie knew it was wrong to be wishing that someone would come in with the bone in their arm snapped in two, or the bones in their legs completely dismantled. But she just couldn't seem to help herself from thinking of the wonderful fantasies.

Just then Arizona walked by her, still wearing her scrubs. "What… but I thought we were going soon," Callie whined.

"I have just been called into emergency surgery," Arizona said. Callie groaned. "Listen, I'm sorry Callie. But the kids need me."

"Well why can't I just be paged for an emergency surgery?" Callie complained.

Just then her pager started beeping. "I spoke too soon," Callie smiled and kissed Arizona's cheek before running off in excitement.

* * *

Meredith squinted her blurry eyes against the bright light, trying to make out the mysterious figure. And when she finally did she gasped.

_Derek!_

_Her Derek _was standing right in front of her.

"Derek?" she gasped, through her fast breaths.

Derek looked faded. "Meredith," his voice sounded so far away even though he was right there next to her.

He slowly reached his hand forwards toward her. Mer moved her hand, about to grab his wrist and pull him towards her. But the hand that was so close to touching her, right above her chest suddenly flew back before Meredith could grab Derek.

"No!" she yelled.

The light pulled back from Meredith all at once and surrounded Derek. His lit up figure flew back through the hospital limbo world and back through the doorway to earth.

"Derek!" Meredith shrieked.

She let her knees collapse beneath her but she landed in a strong pair of arms before she could hit the ground.

"No," Mer cried. "Oh George."

"I know," George whispered. "It means he's still alive."

"I won't to go back!" Meredith yelled. "I want to go back now! And I want you to come with me!"

"I would if I could," George sighed.

"But what about your family? What about your mom and your brothers? Why would you join the army George? If you hadn't this never would have happened! You would have still been alive! And why would you push that girl away from that bus? How could you George? How could you do this to me, to all of us that love you? How could you have been so stupid? You didn't have to be that brave George! You may have saved that girl but you broke the rest of us!" George stared at Meredith, wide eyed. "How could you kill yourself?"

George grabbed Meredith by the shoulders, losing his cool then.

"Enough Meredith!" he yelled. "sI feel bad enough already! I saw you holding in your emotions and then crying in Derek's arms! I saw when you guys were upset when that Read girl took my old locker! I saw Izzie holding my hand and crying! I saw Callie breaking down in the O.R. and crying when she got the proof that I really did die! I saw when Lexie tried to convince herself that it wasn't me! I saw my mother's reaction! I saw her crying. I saw the disappointment in her eyes when she found out I wanted to join the army! And did you know Izzie was wishing for another brain tumor so she could see me? Meredith I watched it all and longed to go back and make it better! I'm sorry that it had to happen that way Meredith but get a hold of yourself! I'm _dead!_ I'm not coming back! And the way you handle everything is _not_ okay! You always say you are all dark and twisty, and when I was in heaven and was told that you were in limbo and that _I _was supposed to try and get you back to your old body and comfort you I until then I thought you had attempted to kill yourself!"

Meredith was speechless. She opened her mouth and then closed it again.

"I-I… I'm sorry George," she basically mouthed the words but George caught them and his eyes softened just a little bit.

It was then that Meredith realized that George had tears in his eyes. "Man, it feels good to get that off my chest."

"Isn't there anyone you can talk to in heaven?" Mer asked.

"There's my dad," George admitted.

Meredith gasped. "Oh my gosh! Your dad Meredith remembered. "It must have felt great to see him again, to be with him."

George nodded his head. "It's also great to see you again. Though it would have been greater if you would have waited until at least eighty nine."

"Hopefully I'll get a chance to make that happen," Meredith said. "George I'm sorry for what I said."

George smiled and pulled Meredith to him. "I miss you," she said.

"I would come back if I could," George whispered.

Tears ran down Mer's face and she hugged him tighter.

* * *

Derek opened his eyes and had to blink rapidly do to the bright light. He felt something plastic on his face and he knew that it was helping him breathe. He faintly remembered that something happened with Meredith, but it was as if his mind was hiding it from him so he wouldn't have to go through the stress again.

Just then a nurse walked into the room. It was the same one that had chased him when he went into the O.R.

"You're up," a voice said.

But it wasn't the nurse's. It was too deep to be her voice. Derek turned his head and found Mark sitting in the chair next to his bed. He pulled in a deep breath and cringed at the pain it sent through him. He turned to his side and felt another shoot of the agonizing stabbing feeling that was in his chest.

"Whoa, take it easy," mark instructed.

Derek opened his mouth to respond and tried to form a word, but his voice came out a whisper. Derek cleared his throat and cringed once more at the pain. He finally found his voice and enough air to form the words he had been trying to say.

"What…" he gasped in another painful breath to form the next word. "Happened?"

"You had a collapsed lung," Mark said.

Derek nearly gasped but refrained himself from it to avoid the pain.

"W-what?" Derek's voice was horse and raspy.

"When you got into the accident a piece of glass had gone through your chest and punctured your lung. It was so small that they hadn't seen it and stitched you up without taking out the glass. When you fainted in the O.R. before…" the memories flooded back into Derek's mind. "You were having trouble breathing and we realized that your lung was letting air through and collecting the air in the sack around it, eventually collapsing from the pressure."

Derek gasped a huge gasp. It wasn't from anything that Mark had said. It was from the fact that he realized that he had witnessed Meredith code.

The pain that flowed through his chest was so strong, but he didn't care. He had seen the way Mark bit his lip and he knew that something had gone _horribly_ wrong.

"Where…" his voice came out in a strangled whispered. "Is Meredith?"

**Yes, I love cliffhangers. Don't you? Probably not. I know you must be wondering what happened to Meredith, what will happen to Izzie and Alex, and what is happening with Christina. There's plenty of that coming up. I will update as soon as I can. But only if… you review. **


	5. Chapter 4: One Word Pain

**Disclaimer: S. R. owns Grey's anatomy and all of it's characters**

**Chapter 5:**

Callie was looking at the ground, waiting for Arizona to come out of surgery. When she finally did she noticed the tears in Callie's eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Callie shook her head and then hid her face in her hands. Arizona sat down and put her arm around her. Callie shook with sobs. "Did you lose your patient?" Arizona guessed.

Callie shook her head and put it on Arizona's shoulder. "The… patient was… Derek Sh-sh-shep…" Callie broke down with sobs. "Shepherd!" she cried. "Derek Shepherd!"

"Oh my God!" Arizona gasped. "What happened?"

"He was in a c-car accident. The entire day I wished for something horrible to happen to someone for my pleasure and it happened to Derek Shepherd!"

Arizona was speechless.

* * *

"Tell me!" Derek commanded, his chest burning. Mark looked at him nervously. "Did you not here me Mark? I said tell me! Is my wife alive?"

"Yes… no… sort of," Mark stuttered.

"What do you mean by that?" Derek shouted and grasped at his chest.s

"She's alive in the technical way!" Mark shouted back, silencing Derek, when he knew Derek would stay quiet he went on. "She's in a coma Derek. And she probably won't make it."

Derek started breathing fast and his lungs were killing him.

"You're going to need to calm down!" Mark commanded.

But Derek ignored him.

* * *

Christina was pacing the hallway. At the moment all she could think about was Meredith. What if she didn't make it? If Meredith died Christina would lose_ her person. _

Just then Izzie walked past her. "Izzie?" Christina gasped.

Izzie turned around and looked at Christina's broken face. "How is she?" Izzie whispered.

"Okay how long have you been here?" Christina asked her.

"I just got here. Alex called me. He told me about Meredith. How is she?"

Christina's eyes filled with tears. The only people she would ever cry in front of were Meredith and Owen.

"She's dying," Christina cried. "Mer is dying!"

* * *

Alex was in the on- call room. He was sitting on the edge of a bed and staring into space. He was crying. He just let the tears run freely. Just then the door opened.

Alex didn't even turn to see who it was. He felt the bed shift as the person sat next to him and kicked off their shoes.

"Alex," a voice whispered, and he realized it was Lexie.

He turned to her and without thinking Lexie leaned in and tried to kiss him. Alex nearly let her, their lips grazed, but he pulled away.

"Izzie came back," he said. "I kissed her. This is wrong. We can't keep doing this Lex."

Lexie nodded her head. "Well can I just sit here?"

"Whatever," Alex muttered.

Just then his pager went off. He stood up quickly and stumbled over Lexie's shoe and fell back onto the bed, accidently pulling Lexie down with him. The door to the on- call room opened, and with Alex's luck it turned out to be Izzie.

"Alex I-

She stopped and went silent and she saw him laying on top of Lexie.

Izzie's nostrils flared and she left the room as quickly as she could. "Izzie!" Alex yelled. He chased after her out of the on- call room. "It's not what you think!" He caught up behind her and grabbed her arm. Izzie pulled out of his grip and turned quickly. She was hesitant but immediately ignored any thoughts that were holding her back and slapped Alex straight across the face. He kept his face in the position she'd slapped it into and rubbed his now sore cheek, watching Izzie walking away.

* * *

Meredith was sitting with her head on George's shoulder. "I don't want to go back," she murmured. "I mean… at least not yet."

"Why?" George asked, incredulously. "At least you still have a life. I'd be happy to go back down to earth if I were in your position."

"Then go! I'll walk through the light and you can come with me."

"It's not possible Mer. If you get back through the light and I am with you the portal will close up and you will be locked in this world with me."

"In Limbo?" Mer asked.

"Heaven," George said.

Meredith nodded her head and then her eyes seemed to light up. She gasped and said, "George, is Doc Here?"

George rolled his eyes and smile before standing up and whistling while clapping his hands together. Mer noticed something in the distance. As the figure became closer she saw the dog she had missed so much.

"Doc!" she yelled. "Hey buddy!" Doc started licking Meredith's face. "Who's a good boy?" Meredith cooed at the dog.

"We keep each other company," George smiled.

"He lives with you?" Meredith asked, happily.

"Kind of," George answered.

Doc sat on Meredith and she laughed and hugged him to her. "I've been meaning to ask you," she said to George. "What happened with that light before?"

"You coded," George said simply.

"So was Derek what I thought of as my angle or something?"

"No," George said. "He coded to"

"What?!" Meredith gasped. "Oh God! Is he dead? If he is I want to die to! I-

"Shh," George shushed her. "Relax, Derek is just fine. His lung collapsed and he coded." Meredith gasped at this. "But he's fine," George assured her.

Meredith only nodded and fell back against the wall. She whispered something that George couldn't hear very well.

"What?" George asked, sitting back down next to her.

"I WANT TO GO BACK!" Meredith yelled.

* * *

Miranda walked into the bathroom, feeling depressed about the states that Derek and Meredith were both currently in. She walked over to the mirror and stared at her reflection in horror. She was a mess. Her hair was all over the place and her eyes were red and puffy from crying before with dark shadows under them. Her nose was red underneath and her shoulders were slumped.

It was then that she heard a muffled crying. The voice was light and she knew it from somewhere. It kept taking deep breaths over and over again.

Miranda walked over to the stall and knocked on the door, but to her surprise it wasn't locked. When her hand came in contact with it the door swung open slowly.

What she saw left her shocked.

Izzie Stevens sat on the floor of the bathroom stall, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Stevens?" Miranda asked, surprised.

Izzie gasped and looked up at the source of the voice.

* * *

"I want to see her," Derek insisted when Owen walked into the room to check on him.

"Derek-

"I want to see my wife now!" Derek instructed.

"Easy on the voice," Owen said. "I'll go get wheel chair."

Owen came back with the wheel chair seconds later and helped Derek into it.

Derek cringed at the soreness in his chest.

"You alright?" Owen asked, beginning to push the wheel chair.

"I'm just sore," Derek admitted.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this right now," Owen said.

"We are," Derek told him, as they wheeled along. "I have to see my wife."

They walked past a nurse who was laughing with her boyfriend and slapping him on the arm. "Stop that," she laughed.

He suddenly gasped as the memories flooded back to him.

_"Stop that!" Meredith warned._

_"Stop what?"_

_"Giving me that look! You expect that just by looking at me like that I'll do whatever you want. You're trying to dazzle me."_

_"So you're saying it's bad to smile lovingly at my wife."_

_Meredith tried not to smile but failed miserably. "You're not as dark and twisty as you think you are," Derrick said._

Derek swallowed hard as they walked up to a room and Owen opened the door.

Derek gasped at the condition Meredith was in and froze, more memories flooding back.

_Derrick was cut off, mid- sentence as the car slid over black ice and spun out of control. Meredith shrieked and Derrick shouted as the car crashed into a tree. The car basically folded around the front of the tree._

_The airbags had stuffed Derrick and Meredith back into their seats as glass shattered and landed in the car._

_Derrick inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath. His hand reached up and touched his face right beneath his nose. He pulled his hand away and found blood on it._

_"Meredith!" he gasped. "Are you alright?"_

_No answer__._

_"Meredith!" Derrick yelled, pushing the airbag away and turning to see her._

_Her eyes were shut and she was covered in blood._

"Meredith!" Derek gasped.


	6. Chapter 5: Tears Of Hate

**Chapter 5**

Izzie ran through the hallways at high speed, trying to get away from what she had just seen. _You left him, you left him_…

She repeated the words over and over again in her head. She ran until she found the girl's bathroom and she barged through the door. She ran past the mirror, catching her horror struck reflection as she ran, and gasping at who she had turned into.

_You are not Izzie Stevens_, she thought. _You hardly even know who you are anymore!_

Izzie ran for the end bathroom stall and didn't even bother to lock it before dropping to the cold ground and hugging her knees to her chest.

_The Izzie you know was lost long ago._

There was something she loved about cold floors when she was upset. When Denny had died she had lay on the floor and just let the cold engulf her in a way. It just seemed to numb her.

_The Izzie you know would do anything to get what she wanted, including becoming a model to afford medical school. The Izzie you know is a fighter._

Izzie sobbed into her knees and wished she had someone to talk to. She needed a best friend. She needed…

_George. The Izzie you know has a best friend… or __**had**__ a best friend. And his name is George. But the Izzie you know died away when he did. _

There was the sound of the door opening and heels clicking against the tiled floor. They stopped for a moment before walking towards her stall. The door swung open with whatever person was there knocking on it.

"Stevens?" a familiar voice said.

Izzie's head bounced up to the source of the voice.s

"Izzie Steven? What the hell are you doing here?"

Izzie tried to catch her breath and stood up as quickly as she could.

"Dr. B-B-Baily?"

"Why are you here? And why are you crying?"

"A-Alex… I mean M-M-Meredith… G-George… everything!"

_The Isobel Stevens you know has lost her best friend, lost her husband, and nearly lost herself to cancer. _

Baily stepped in and over to Izzie, giving her an awkward hug. Izzie broke down crying.

_And if Meredith dies then the Izzie you know is never ever coming back!_

* * *

"Meredith!" Derek yelled, thrashing against the wheel chair.

"Hold still!" Owen warned.

Derek was breathing heavily, his lungs aching, the sight was so horrible. Meredith had horrible scars covering her face. She had a bandage wrapped around her head. She had bandages around her chest and her left arm. Her other arm was in a splint from her shoulder being dislocated. She hardly even looked like herself anymore.

Derek started to shake with horror. "It's all my fault," Derek said. "I did this to her! I made her go for the car ride!"

"If you don't stop I will be forced to move you back into your room!" Owen warned.

Derek tried to catch his breath. "Okay…" he gasped. "I… think I… can do this."

Owen was hesitant but slowly moved the wheel chair into Meredith's room.

Her breathing was slow and even. Derek put his hand on Mer's.

"Is she ever going to wake up?" Derek asked.

"We don't exactly know for sure," Owen said.

"Mark started to tell me," Derek said. Owen sighed. "What percent?" Derek snapped."

"She has about a thirty percent chance," Owen gave in.

Derek's breath caught in his throat. "That's not horrible," he said. "I mean it could be lower."

Owen looked away. "Derek," he said. "Her heart rate is getting weaker by the minute. It probably will get lower."

* * *

Meredith was standing by the door that had turned into the portal back to earth the last time she was there. She closed her eyes and walked through it and opened them again, wondering if it had worked. But she was in the same place she had been.

"Damn it!" Meredith growled.

George walked over to her and looked her in the eye. "That was the seventh time you have tried that Meredith," he said, grabbing her shoulders. "Will you stop that? _Please!_"

Meredith sighed. "But how will I get back George?"

"When your human body is healthy enough! You hit your head really hard in that car."

"I know that!" Meredith yelled. "I remember that cracking sound I heard! I now know that the cracking sound would be my head. But I blacked out before I could feel any of it. You must have been in so much pain," Meredith said, remembering being told that George was dragged under a bus for a few blocks.

"I was," George said. "I remember feeling my skin being torn from my body. I remember feeling my bones crack. I remember wanting to die so badly from that pain. You are actually somewhat lucky that you blacked out."

Meredith ground her teeth in frustration.

"Cut that out George," she snapped. "Stop trying to make me believe that what happened to me isn't totally a bad thing, because it is! Stop trying to make it better! Just stop it already!"

"No Meredith! You are lucky they even know who you are. People didn't even realize I was gone. I heard them yelling about me like I wasn't in the room. You were yelling Meredith. You didn't even know it was me at first when I was trying to draw in your hand. I couldn't even hold the pen Meredith! I was _so_ far gone. You were walking around all day talking about how your patient was probably going to die! You got married by a post it note and I couldn't even be there to congratulate you! The only thing I could possibly do was write my stupid nickname into your hand. Double O seven- license to kill. You ran from the room Meredith. And my heart broke, knowing that you were that upset. When you gasped like that… You never freak out unless you have to Meredith. But I was too far gone." George tried to fight the tears entering his eyes. His throat felt dry. "I shouldn't have had to be identified by my Ex- wife based on the freckle on my hand."

"It was shaped like Texas," Meredith laughed, picking up George's hand and looking at the freckle. "Wow, she wasn't kidding."

George laughed out loud and Mer couldn't help but giggle at how loud he laughed. She always loved his laugh, how awkward he was, how sweet he was. He was the best friend anyone could ask for and yet he disappeared nearly in mid-air. He was gone before she could even process it. He was George and he was dead.

* * *

Christina stood in the room filled with the heaters and just let the air blow away her sorrows.

At least that's what she planned on doing. But it didn't work.

Just then the door burst open and Owen stomped in. Christina gasped at the lo0ud noise it made.

Owen looked angry and sad and hurt all at once. He noticed Christina and gasped loudly.

"How is she?" Christina asked.

Owen shook his head, anger clear on his expression.

He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her to him, crashing his lips to hers. He pushed her up against the wall and deepened the kiss.

But Christina pushed him away, gasping for air.

"I asked you a question!" she said through clenched teeth.

"Is it really that important?"

"Yes!" Cristina yelled."God, Owen what is wrong with you?"

"You want to know what's wrong with me? You want to know?" he shook Cristina, his hands grasping her shoulders.

"Cut it out! Get the hell off of me!" Cristina yelled.

Owen pushed her towards the wall and she hit her back against it.

"Crap! Owen you are scaring me!"

Owen slowly became aware of where he was and what he was doing.

"Oh my God! Christina, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! It's just that… She's not doing well." Owen began to cry. "Derek is flipping out! You are upset! I can't take it all!"

"Well you need to find a better way to freaking control your anger!" Cristina snapped.

She pushed past him and ran out through the door, angrily. Tears pierced through her eyes and she ran as fast as she could away from all of it.

She needed to get away… far way.

**Please review and I will continue.**


	7. Chapter 6: Breathe For Me

**Chapter 6**

Izzie hugged her knees to her chest as tightly as she could. It was somewhat mortifying that Bailey, of all people, had to be there at that moment watching her.

But at the same time it was also comforting in a way. It was better than being on the floor alone.

"She's going to die isn't she?" Izzie murmured, tears streaming down her face. She took a deep, shuttering breath.

"Maybe," Bailey said.

"For once can you just pretend I am not your old intern and tell me as if I was the friend in the waiting room? Because in this situation I am. Pretend you don't know me. Now tell me. Do you think she will die?"

Bailey looked away from Izzie and let her feet drop straight in front of her. She pressed one of her hands against the cold wall.

"Probably," she finally admitted.

Izzie couldn't help but start shaking with silent sobs. Bailey put her hand on Izzie's shoulder. Just then there was the sound of the bathroom door bursting open.

"Izzie!" Alex's voice rang out. "Are you in here?" He seemed to wait a moment for an answer. "If I have to come in there and look for you I will! I don't care if this _is_ the girl's bathroom!"

Miranda caught the pained and worried look on Izzie's face and sighed before standing. Izzie heard Alex's feet stomping on the ground. She could hear him begin to open each stall one by one.

"Stay back against the corner and stay silent," Bailey said in a whisper.

Izzie obeyed and Bailey stood by the stall and waited until she could see Alex's feet under the door. Bailey opened the door before he could.

"Karev! What the hell are you doing in here? Can't you read? _Women's Restroom_!"

"I'm sorry Dr. Bailey. Have you seen Izzie by any chance?"

Bailey pointed her hand towards the door and snapped, "Leave!" at Alex.

"Absolutely," Alex agreed, turning quickly and tripping as he ran out of the bathroom.

Izzie's eyes were wide and she had to bite her lip in order to keep from laughing. For the first time in months she couldn't help but really smile. It was so funny seeing Alex's expression. How could she not laugh?

But as always she found herself engulfed in reality and leaned back into the _cold_ wall. The cold helped for a moment before she looked up to Bailey with pleading eyes, nearly begging for help.

"You should talk to him," Bailey told her. "He was getting happier. You could tell. But in the words of Meredith Grey he became _dark and twisty_."

"You know about dark and twisty?" Izzie asked, impressed.

"I'm not deaf you know. But you know interns. They like to believe we are."

Izzie smiled, remembering her interns.

"I miss working here," she said, sadly.

"You should talk to Derek Shepherd. He is the new chief you know."

* * *

Lexie cried into the pillow on her bed. It gave better comfort than anyone else did.

Mark had simply patted her back, looking pained, and in a split decision said he had to go and just left her sitting alone in shock.

But now as she cried into the pillow she could hardly believe he could do such a thing to her. How could he had given news like _that_ and then left her there alone.

Plus, to add to everything else that had gone wrong, she had caused Alex and Izzie to fight. He had refused to do anything with her. He had refused to even kiss her. They had been using each other for almost two months now and he had decided just like that that he couldn't do it anymore.

Just then the door opened and she heard the muffled sound of footsteps.

The sound stopped right next to the bed. She sensed the person watching her and she slowly turned over to face the owner of those feet.

"Mark," she whimpered.

He looked at her tear stained face with hurt clear in his eyes.

"I thought it was you," he said, stupidly. "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright?" she said, just above a whisper. "How could I be alright? Look how you treated me. Look, I'm sorry that I wasn't ready to be a grandmother to your daughter's baby. I'm sorry I had to break up with you because of it. You gave her more attention than you did me." She gasped a huge breath. "And I'm sorry I slept with Alex. But you slept with Addison."

"You said you weren't together," Mark pointed out.

"We're not. We are using each other." Mark's eyes narrowed angrily towards her. He had a look of disbelief on face.

"I know, it's horrible," Lexie mumbled before Mark could say anything else. "But he's broken and I'm broken and… damn it, I miss you Mark."

The part came out too quickly and Mark dropped down onto the bed next to her.

"Lexie," he whispered. "You're not broken."

"Mark," Lexie whispered, her voice shaking. "Being with you made me whole. Not being with you… it made me broken. I-

Mark cut her off by slamming his lips to hers. She kissed him back, breaking away once to catch her breath and then kissing him again.

"Is the door locked?" she whispered against his lips.

"No," Mark answered, his voice a bit hoarse.

Lexie thought for a moment before murmuring, "Oh well."

* * *

Owen held his phone to his ear and tapped his foot wildly. But once again he just got Cristina's answering machine right away. He slammed the phone shut and then opened it up to dial her number again. Once again he got her answering machine without any rings. She had clearly turned her phone off.

"Cristina," he growled into the phone. "Answer your phone. And turn it on Cristina! I am so sorry beyond words for what I did. And I understand if you never want to talk to me again. But I _need_ to know that you are alright. _Please_ call me back!"

* * *

Derek was lying in bed, his mind filled with images of Mer's broken body. He had to be taken forcefully from the room. Now he entertained himself by listening to Owen on his phone outside the room. He was angry at something and he was begging Cristina to answer her phone and come back. When he entered the room to check on Derek, Derek had looked at him questioningly.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You have enough of your own problems," Owen said. "You don't need to hear about mine too."

"Should I take that as an insult?" Derek asked.

Owen rolled his eyes and, ignoring Derek's last comment, began to explain.

"I did something horrible to Cristina. And now she won't answer her phone and has been gone for hours."

"What did you do to piss her off?" Derek asked, trying to focus on one thing and _not_ think about Meredith's horrible condition.

"I don't want to talk about it," Owen muttered.

"And I want to rewind back to two days ago when I forced Meredith to go for a car ride with me. But that isn't going to happen either."

Owen shook his head. His phone rang and he quickly picked it up.

"Hello," he said, impatience clear in his voice. His face fell. "No mom," he said. "I said _no_!" A few seconds went by before Owen groaned in annoyance. "I can't come to dinner tonight because I have a patient that I have to keep a close eye on."

Derek let out a sad sigh. That patient that Owen spoke of was just no normal patient.

It was Meredith.

* * *

Meredith walked the halls with George. They were silent. Meredith loved talking to him now. But at this moment it was nice to just take in each other's silence.

But George seemed to get bored of this after a little while. "If you had one wish," he said softly. "What would it be?"

"For you to come back to life," Meredith whispered.

"I know," George sighed. "Meredith Grey, you can be more creative than that."

"To live through all of this," Meredith said.

"You can be more creative than that," George smirked. "Where's the Meredith Grey I know? You know, the one who enjoys to complain about her boyfriend… or I guess it's husband now, and constantly calls herself dark and twisty?"

Meredith opened her mouth in mock surprise and slapped George's arm lightly.

"Ouch!" George said, rubbing his arm. "That hurt."

"That didn't hurt," Meredith said. "I've seen some pretty painful things in my day. That's nothing compared to those."

"Well it looked like it hurt," George said, putting his hands on his hips.

Meredith laughed. "You look just like a girl at that moment. And anyway you should know what real pain is. You _did_ get dragged by a bus."

George chuckled at that. "It's nice that we can laugh about it now, huh?"

Meredith frowned out of nowhere. "Honestly, I thought I would never even get the chance to see you again. You died."

"Tell me about it," George muttered.

Meredith was about to respond, but stopped when a strong feeling ran through her.

"Why do I feel like I just got a little stronger?" she asked. George's face became something of sadness. Meredith thought for a second and her hopes began to fade. "It means that my body on earth just got weaker doesn't it?"

* * *

Cristina sat in a chair in the waiting area.

_Stupid waiting area_, she thought. _Stupid people watching me! Stupid everything!_

Her mind wandered back to Owen and a pang of sadness formed in her stomach. She gulped loudly and looked down at the floor. Suddenly a voice came over the intercom.

"Flight twenty nine is now boarding," it called. "I repeat, flight twenty nine is now boarding!"

Cristina stood silently and walked over to where the line was forming and stepped into it. The line moved painfully slowly and Cristina continued to check over her shoulder to make sure nobody that she knew was there.

Eventually she got up to the front of the tine and handed her ticket to the cheerful woman who collected it at the front of the line. After checking the ticket the woman smiled at her.

"Enjoy your vacation," the woman told her.

Cristina hesitated before saying, "It's not a vacation."

**A/N: If you want me to update then please review. The more reviews I get the faster I will update!**


	8. Chapter 7: Hear My Cries

**Chapter 7**

Miranda walked into the on-call room, needing some rest. It was all just too much for her. Everything was just so stressful. She had already lost one of her old interns, another had cancer, and now another was about to slip right through her fingers and die.

_Meredith Grey._

She wasn't allowed to die. She was too strong of a fighter. But Miranda knew all too well that Meredith probably wouldn't make it.

Miranda pulled the handle on the door to the on-call room and gasped. Lexie Grey and _Mcsteamy_ (as they called him) were … yeah she would never get that image out of her head.

"Oh _hell_ no!" she snapped, causing the two of them to snap their heads up to look at her in shock. "If you two are going to do _that_ you could think about locking the damn door. Have you ever heard of _privacy_? Well if you have, and if you want some _lock the door!_"

"Crap!" she heard Lexie gasp as the door slammed shut and Miranda disappeared behind it.

* * *

Izzie walked into the Meredith's room slowly. It was like seeing George in the bed all over again. When she took in the site of Mer's body she froze. She saw the scars and the casts and splints. She still looked more like herself than George did, but she wasn't the strong and fighting Meredith that she knew. Her heartbeat seemed almost slow as was her breathing. But she looked peaceful despite everything else.

Izzie was still in her frozen state when a nurse walked by and tapped her shoulder. "Are you alright?" she questioned.

Izzie shook the cloudiness from her head and nodded. The nurse walked out of the room slowly.

Izzie slowly made her way over to Meredith's bed and sat in the chair next to it. She patted Mer' hand and stared intently at her face.

Suddenly a pang of courage plunged through her and she clenched her teeth.

"Meredith Grey," she said sternly. "You are strong enough to fight this! I don't know if you can hear me but you need to try and fight! I know you're in there somewhere under all of that coma. You need to live." Izzie took a deep breath and felt her throat get dry. She tried to swallow it away but she couldn't. She let the tears build up and leave her eyes. "You need to live."

* * *

Meredith stood by herself in limbo, waiting for George to return from his current disappearance. He finally did about a minute later.

"George," Mer sighed with relief. "Thank God-

But before she could say anything more there was a sudden voice that wavered through the room. Meredith looked up and George was gone.

"George?" Meredith whispered.

She heard a voice from somewhere far away, yet it sounded so close.

"_Meredith are strong enough to fight this! I don't know if you can hear me but you need to try and fight! I know you're in there somewhere under all of that coma. You need to live"_

"Izzie?" Meredith gasped.

"_You need to live."_

"Izzie!"

George reappeared in front of Meredith. "I sure do miss her," he said sadly.

Meredith looked up with tear filled eyes. "Is she talking to me on earth?"

George nodded. "She is," he said. "Have you ever heard that when you are in a coma you can sometimes hear what people around you are saying? Well, it's the truth."

"I want to go back!" she commanded. "If I'm in a coma could I be like this for a long time? I mean… remember that old man who was in a coma for a year? I don't think I can live like this for a year."

"Meredith-

"Don't try to calm me down!" Meredith cut him off. "I want to go back _now_!"

George's eyes turned to look at the ground. And as if he knew it was going to happen Meredith jerked forwards with a new strength.

"Am I dead?" she whimpered.

"Do you see a light?" George asked.

"No."

"Then you aren't dead… yet."

"But my body just got weaker again, didn't it?"

"Yes," George sighed.

"I can't handle this anymore!" Meredith cried, turning and running as fast as she could.

But she knew that that wouldn't get her anywhere. She slowly stopped and turned around. George was standing right in front of her, which she didn't expect, causing her to gasp loudly.

"You can't run from this Meredith," he said. "Plus I don't know how much more time we have together. So could you stop running away from me? I am trying to keep my cool, but by you freaking out I'm going to start freaking out!" George yelled.

Meredith smiled.

"What are you smirking at?" George asked, almost surprised.

"Because you finally stopped acting like the guy that keeps his cool because he is dead and thinks I am going to lose it at any minute and you started acting like the George I know who isn't afraid to hide what he is feeling. I feel like I finally got you back."

George smiled a half smile. "You never lost me," he said.

* * *

Cristina stared out the window as the plane took off. She began to think about Owen. He probably couldn't help what he did. She knew he had emotional issues. But for some reason she couldn't bring herself to go back.

She wasn't so sure it was Owen who she didn't want to see, but to watch Meredith die…

She just couldn't handle it. She would never be able to get that image out of her head.

"Ma'am," the woman from beside her said. Cristina turned her head to face the woman. "Are you alright?"

Cristina nodded. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I…" she broke off mid-sentence, realizing that her voice was wavering. She was crying. "Oh, I didn't know I was crying," Cristina admitted.

The woman chuckled and put a hand on Cristina's shoulder.

"Whatever it is, it will all work out," she said.

"No," Cristina muttered. "It won't."

* * *

Derek dreamt that he was standing outside the bedroom door knocking on it.

"Meredith," he called. "Why is the door locked?"

The door unlocked but there was no answer. "Meredith!"

The door opened and Meredith ran out laughing. Derek chased after her.

"Oh no you don't!" he yelled, chasing after her and laughing.

He chased her past Alex Karev's room and down the stairs. She ran into the living room and tripped.

Catching her balance on the sofa, Meredith pushed herself back up and kept running.

Derek ran up to the other side of the sofa. When Meredith moved one day Derek moved the other. She was trapped from going anywhere but Derek couldn't catch her either.

So Derek did the unexpected. He jumped over the sofa and landed on the other side next to Meredith.

She screeched out a laugh as Derek grabbed her by her by her hips.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Got ya," he whispered into her ear.

Meredith laughed quietly, but her smile quickly faded. Derek turned her around and his arms around her waist still while holding her close to him. He stared intently into her eyes.

"Mere-

"No you don't," she cut him off. "You don't have me."

Her voice was so straight forwards and secret. He didn't understand. She almost sounded eerie.

The words began echoing through the world around him.

"_You don't have me, you don't have me, you don't have me…_

The room slowly began to fade to darkness and Meredith's bright cheeks began to turn pale as she began to fade as well.

"Don't go!" Derek begged.

But it was too late. Meredith vanished from his grip and he stumbled forwards in the darkness.

"_You don't have me…_

The echoing, ghostly voice seemed to grow louder.

Suddenly the dark scene turned into Derek's car. He found himself in the seat of the car. He felt strange, like he should be in pain, but he was perfectly fine.

"Meredith!" Derek screamed.

His eyes roamed around and found Meredith stuffed back in her seat under the airbag and covered in blood.

"No!" Derek shouted.

Suddenly the faint echoes of Meredith's voice spoke something new.

"_You've lost me."_

Derek sat straight up in bed and let out a loud scream. It pierced through the air and caused his lungs to ache. He suddenly felt sore all over. He was covered in sweat and his heart was beating fast. The beeping of the machine sped up and his breathing was uncontrollably fast.

Suddenly Owen came running into the room in a flood of panic.

_Meredith_ was the first thing that crossed Derek's mind. What was wrong with her?

* * *

Cristina was waiting for her suitcase when somebody knocked into her. She stumbled forwards and her cell phone dropped out of her pocket. She picked it up and turned it on. She gasped when she realized she had twenty missed calls. Before she could see who they were from (though she had a feeling that it was from Owen) the phone rang again.

Without thinking she pick answered it.

"Hello," she groaned, annoyed that she was being called.

"Cristina!"

"Owen-

"No, let me speak. Please."

Owen was silent for a moment. "Well speak then," Cristina snapped.

"Listen, I didn't mean to hurt you. I am _so_ sorry… I saw Meredith's broken looking body and I felt afraid. She's someone I know, someone you're close to, it just reminded me of seeing all of my friends in the army. I was somewhere else. One minute I was kissing you, and the next… I had you thrown up against a wall. It was like when I chocked you. I… I didn't… I just-

"Owen," Cristina stopped his rambling. "I know you didn't mean it, okay. But you need to continue to go to therapy."

"So where are you?"

"I'm visiting someone," Cristina said.

"Who?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes it does. I am your boyfriend. I want to know where you are. Come home. Please!"

"I can't Owen! Don't you get that? Meredith is _dying_! She's _my_ person. I can't live without my person Owen. Don't you understand that? I have to get away for a little while. I have to… I just can't come back right now, okay."

"Cristina, you're my person," Owen said softly.

"I know," Cristina said.

There was a strange sound in the background.

"Owen?" Cristina asked. "Owen are you there?"

Cristina slammed her phone shut.

_How dare he hang up on me!_ she thought.

* * *

Owen took a deep breath.

"Cristina, you're my person," he said softly.

"I know," he heard her say. But his attention was elsewhere the second he heard the loud scream that erupted from Derek's room.

He dropped the phone in panic and ran in.

Derek's eyes grew wide when he saw him. "Is Meredith okay?" he asked.

"Yes, nothing's changed," Owen said. Derek sighed in relief. "But why were you screaming?" Owen demanded.

"I had a bad dream," Derek murmured under his breath.

Just then a loud cry was heard in the hallway. Owen turned to find Izzie Stevens on the ground, huddled up and crying.

"What's wrong with her?" Derek asked.

"I don't know," Owen said.

"Well go find out!" Derek told him.

Owen sighed and started out of the room. He was about to bend down and see if Izzie was okay when Alex Karev noticed Izzie and hurried over to bend down next to her.

Owen turned and walked over to get his phone from the ground, relieved that Karev had gotten to Stevens before he had to.

But two questions ran through his mind at that moment.

What was wrong with Stevens?

Would Cristina think he hung up on her

**A/N: I have decided that in your reviews if you have any questions that you just **_**need**_** to have answered I **_**might**_** answer them in the next authors note. I can't promise anything but I will try and answer them. I also want to know what you guys think of my story. So please, please, please review and I will update! **


	9. Chapter 8: Everything In My Power

**Chapter 8**

Izzie walked out of Meredith's room slowly. Her body was frozen all except for her feet which carried her through the hallways ever so gradually. Her hair hung around her face in a messy birds nest type thing. But she didn't care.

Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Everything was just so far away from her reach. Her mind was just somewhere else. She couldn't control herself anymore.

Her breathing slowly quickened and her heart beat and breathing became so loud that they were the only things that filled her ears besides a distant sounding voice that seemed to be calling her name.

She felt her heavy head begin to grow numb and the numbness slowly traced through her body until it reached her legs and she felt herself begin to sway and wobble as the numbness moved down to her knees and calves until it reached her feet.

Finally her knees gave out under her and she collapsed to the ground and landed on her knees. She hid her face in her hands and leaned over onto the ground and began sobbing. S

he didn't care who was watching. She had lost _everything_- her job, best friend, husband, and about to lose another friend.

That was when she heard feet rushing towards her from two different directions. But one set of feet got to her first. A hand touched her shoulder and she flinched from the sudden contact.

"Izzie?" a familiar voice whispered. "What's wrong?"

She looked up from where she sat. "Alex?" she sobbed.

"Izzie, come on, let's get you off of that dirty surgical floor. Why don't we go back to Meredith's house and you can shower and I'll give you some cloths to put on."

Izzie's breath caught in her throat. Now that was _definitely_ her Alex, not the dark and twisty one that Lexie Grey had tried to _comfort_.

Izzie looked up at Alex and sucked in a deep breath. He reached a hand out towards her. Izzie slowly moved a shaky arm towards him. He took her hand and carefully helped lift her up to her feet.

"It'll be alright," Alex said.

Izzie's knees shook as she walked and she nearly fell again, but Alex caught her. He realized that Izzie must have gone into shock, the same way Meredith did when the bomb had gone off.

"I feel dizzy," he gasped as she began to hyperventilate.

"Let's get you some water," Alex said.

* * *

Cristina walked into the Beverly Hills cemetery through the darkened night. It was piercingly quiet and dark. Cristina had searched for almost an hour for a certain grave. She had just about given up when she noticed one grave that she must have passed by without noticing. She slowly walked to it and ran her hand over the cold stone of the grave.

"Hi," she said. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you in a while. But I don't exactly live so close."

She swallowed hard, avoiding tears. She _hated_ crying. It made her seem weak. And everyone who knew Cristina Yang knew that she _wasn't _weak.

But there was one thing, one subject that always made her at least get a little choked up.

She knew how scared Derek must have been in the car crash because she was in the same situation with the person that was now in the ground that she was looking at right now.

"Oh daddy," she whispered. "I wish I could talk to you. I mean, I'm able to, but you can't really talk back."

She couldn't hide it anymore. She let the tears break through and begin to fall. "Meredith is dying!" she cried. "George _has_ died! My boyfriend and I are fighting! Izzie got cancer. The only thing I could even possibly think to do was come and talk to you."

She knew that it wouldn't do much, he couldn't respond, but it made her feel a little bit more comfortable to be near his body. She had loved her dad for the nine years that she knew him, and he had loved her too.

Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore. She let an angry sob rip through her body and she fell harshly to her knees in front of the grave and wrapped her arms around the grave stone. She held herself close.

"P-please help M-Meredith l-live if you a-are able t-to. I-if M-Meredith dies then please c-comfort her in heaven. But do w-what you can to k-keep her safe daddy! Please!"

After a while of kneeling down on the dirty ground she slowly composed herself enough to get back up. She couldn't believe how much she had just freaked out.

She cleared her throat and patted the grave stone.

She kissed her hand and touched it to the cold stone and ran her hand over her father's name once. She cleared her throat once more before saying, "Bye daddy." She began to walk away before turning and calling out, "I love you!"

In the dark she tripped over a grave stone and fell, hitting her head against another in the process.

The pain was harsh in her head, but she almost felt some sort of relief by doing so, as if it had taken away some of her mental pain to be used physically.

"Ah!" she gasped, holding her hand against her head, above her left eyebrow before turning and walking away slowly into the darkened night.

But what surprised her the most was that when she got to the car she had rented she saw a person leaning against it, there arms crossed over their chest and their legs crossed out in front of them.

"Owen?" she gasped.

"Your mom said that you always used to come down here and visit your dad when you were upset. I figured I might as well give it a try."

"You flew all the way down here?" Cristina was still mostly speechless.

"You were crying," Owen said, ignoring her question. "I can hear it in your voice. Do you want to talk about it?"

Cristina shook her head. "No," she sighed.

"Do you want me to drive?" Owen offered.

Cristina shrugged. "That's not really an answer," Owen said.

"Owen why did you do this?" Cristina finally spoke harshly.

"Because I love you," Owen told her, straight forward.

"Then why did you hang up on me?" Cristina asked.

"I didn't. Derek had a night mare and screamed very loudly. I dropped the phone in shock and had to check on him to make sure he wasn't dying or anything."

"Then why aren't you there with him now?"

"Richard agreed to take my shift for me."

"You didn't call me back," Cristina pointed out.

"Are you kidding me?" Owen said, shocked. "Have you checked how many messages I have left you?"

Christina rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone to turn it on. "Holly crap!" she gasped. "Twenty missed calls and fifteen messages? Are you crazy?"

"Yeah," Owen smirked. "I'm crazy for you."

Cristina looked up at him and felt the tears begin to fall again. Once again _she hated crying_! She cursed silently under her breath.

"You need to go back," Owen said.

"No," Cristina cried. "I don't _need_ to do anything!"

"Look, I get that you are upset with me. But if Meredith dies-

"I will never be able to forgive myself," Cristina finished him off. "Burk gave me the same speech last time she died."

Owen's eyebrows rose. "_Last time_?" he repeated in shock.

"Yeah," Cristina said. "You didn't hear about that?"

"No."

"You didn't hear about the time she drowned, or how about the time she nearly got killed by a bomb?"

"What the hell?" Owen gasped."

"She gets hurt a lot," Cristina shrugged, tossing Owen the keys, which he missed, and climbing into the car.

Owen blinked twice before picking up the keys and following Cristina. The second the lights of the car turned on Owen gasped.

"Oh my God Cristina! Your head is gushing blood!"

Cristina's eyes widened and she touched her forehead, feeling the wet and sticky liquid dripping down her head.

"What did you do?" Owen gasped.

"I hit my head on a gravestone," Cristina muttered in annoyance.

Owen reached forwards to take a look at her head. "You probably need stitches," he sighed. "Come on; let's get you to a hospital."

Owen pulled his shirt up and over his head.

"What are you doing?" Cristina asked.

Owen handed his shirt to her. "Put this on your head, apply pressure to it."

As Owen began to drive Cristina placed the shirt onto her head. After a minute she said, "I love you Owen."

"I love you too," Owen said, flashing a quick but worried smile at Cristina.

* * *

Derek woke up with shock from another bad dream in a pool of sweat. But he didn't scream this time.

He dreamt that he had been in surgery working on a patient's brain, trying to repair the horrible brain damage that had been done to the frontal lobe.

Everything was going fine until the heartbeat started moving too slow. They hadn't picked up the arrhythmia that the person had.

"Heart beat is going into bradycardia!" Derek informed everyone.

They got shock paddles and shocked the body which bounced up with the electric shock.

Suddenly the heartbeat flat lined. "She's coding!" a doctor called out.

Derek realized the patient was a woman at that moment.

_Funny,_ he thought._ I should have known that._

They tried to shock the patient a few more times until they gave up and set the paddles down.

"Time of death," Derek said. "Twelve fifty five."

He slowly walked around to look at the patient's face and gasped as he realized it was Meredith.

"No!" he screamed. "Meredith!"

Derek's eyes had flashed open then and he found Richard standing there. His expression was solemn and his eyes were red and puffy.

"Oh God no," Derek pleaded. "Is she dead?"

The chief shook his head and a tear ran down his cheek, which was unlike him.

"She's alive," Richard choked out. "But barely."

* * *

Meredith was feeling extremely down, considering she had most of her strength back. She couldn't seem to face the fact that she may never seem Derek again. Something like that was absolutely unacceptable.

"Are you alright?" George said from beside her.

"Huh?" Meredith said, snapping out of her trance.

"You've been quiet for a very long time."

"I… I mean… I just-

"You miss Derek," George said for her.

Meredith nodded. "I'm sorry. I mean I miss you, and I love you, you're one of my closest friends but…

"You love him more," George said, without doubt. "You should Meredith he's your husband. Don't be silly." Meredith nodded. "Why are you so afraid to hurt my feelings? I'm still me, still the goofy old George O'Malley, the double o seven."

Meredith cringed at the memory. "I couldn't feel my body when you told me," she told George. "I went into shock, went numb, and couldn't feel my body."

George looked like he was about to crack a joke. "Yet you felt your face enough to yell," George said and thern imitated Meredith in a bad impression of her voice. "_Oh God! Oh god._"

Meredith started laughing, she couldn't help it. "I don't sound like that!" she defended herself.

"Sure you don't," George said sarcastically.

Meredith reached over to push him playfully, but her hand went right through him and she found that he had disappeared.

She staggered to her feet. "George?" she called, feeling the fear rushed through her body. "George?!"

Meredith turned around and gasped at the unfamiliar person who stood before her.

"Wh-who are you?" Meredith stuttered.

"You may call me Mr. Yang," he grinned." I'm the father of _your person_, Cristina. She visited me at my grave and asked me to do everything in my power to keep you alive. I love my little girl and I intend to do exactly as she wishes and keep you alive."

**A/N: Okay, so if you have any questions ask me in my reviews. I may just spoil some of the story. I know exactly how it is going to end, but if there is anything you **_**really**_** want to see I may be able to fit it in. Reviews encourage me to keep going. So review and I'll update.**


	10. Chapter 9: Hard To Breathe

**Chapter 9**

Alex helped Izzie walk into the house. She told him that her legs still felt like Jell-o. He walked her into the living room and helped her sit on the sofa.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, running a hand through her messy hair.

"Like I want to go back," Izzie said.

"To the hospital?" Alex questioned.

"No," Izzie said, tiredly. "I want to go back to the days we were interns. I want to go back to our first date, to when we had Doc, to when George was my best friend, to when Meredith wasn't dying, and to when she hadn't drowned, and to when she nearly got killed by that bomb and we had to hold her in the shower to rinse the blood off of her because she was in shock from that guy blowing up right in front of her and nearly killing her and-

"I get it Izzie," Alex stopped her babbling. He put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "When's the last time you showered?" he questioned.

"A few days ago before you called me with the news that Mer was dying," she whispered.

"Well I'm thinking you should shower."

"Do I smell?" Izzie asked.

Alex chuckled before answering. "Yeah sort of."

Izzie tried not to smile and stuck her tongue out at him. "I hate you," she joked, pushing his arm.

"You love me," Alex joked back.

For a moment it felt as if nothing had changed. But then Alex remembered and sighed. So much _had_ changed. Yet it was so easy to forget.

Izzie's eyes were downcast, facing the floor. She bit her lip and slowly looked up at Alex again.

"Alex," Izzie whispered. "Do you still love me?"

* * *

Meredith was frozen in place and she couldn't speak.

There stood the man who had raised Cristina, her person, and yet she couldn't even say a word to him.

It was all so surprising to her. And it broke her heart to know that Cristina had gone all the way to Beverly Hills to ask her father to save Meredith.

Meredith opened her mouth but quickly shut it again. She could only think of one thing she wanted to say. But she couldn't find the word.

Mr. Yang opened his mouth to speak again but Mer found the words just in time to beat him to it.

"Where is George?" she questioned.

Mr. Yang cleared his throat and George stepped out from behind him and walked over to Meredith.

She immediately felt herself calm down a little and sucked in a deep breath and shook her head, trying to get the blood to flow through it more easily.

"So you're Cristina's dad?" Meredith asked.

Mr. Yang smiled and winked. "Yes I am," he said. "Now although I already know, why don't you tell me how you wound up here."

"But if you already know-

"Meredith just do it," George encouraged from next to Mr. Yang.

"Fine," Meredith gave in.

"Wait," Mr. Yang said. "Close your eyes and picture it."

Meredith closed her eyes and thought back to the unexpected scene.

"I was in a car," she started, remembering the car. "I was with my husband Derek. It was raining. I kept questioning him. I kept asking him where we were going. But he kept saying it was a surprise. He refused to tell me. So I kept bothering him about it. He finally gave in… he was just about… to tell me when…

Meredith could feel her mind drifting away.

"_Derek," Meredith whined. "Where are we going?"… _

"_Come on, where are you taking me?" Meredith asked, shooting him sad eyes._

"_Fine," he groaned. "I'm taking you to-_

_Derek was cut off, mid- sentence as the car slid over black ice and spun out of control._

Meredith's breathing quickened as she remembered even more of it.

_She screamed and Derek shouted when the car had spun. All at once she began to fear for her life. But even more, she began to fear for Derek's life. _

_As the car spun Meredith felt her head flop into a window and the last thing she remembered was feeling her screaming stop, unable to go on as a loud, sickening cracking noise sounded through her ears. She felt cloudiness cover over her head as Derek's voice seemed so far away. His screaming stopped as Meredith heard a sound of metal splitting from a far distance. There were other sounds too. She heard Derek say her name as she felt herself drift away. The noises became further and further away until she awoke in a bed in the one place she dreaded being in._

Meredith's eyes flashed open. "No!" she screamed, hearing her broken voice grow louder in her ears. Tears rushed down her face. "It's all my fault! If I hadn't been bugging Derek… he would have been concentrating on the road. His attention would not have been on me! I brought this on us! I should have just let him surprise me! This is all my fault!"

"Ah," Mr. Yang sighed. "It looks like we have figure out why you cannot return to your body.

"What?" Meredith whispered, struck with confusion.

"You tell me," Mr. Yang said. "It looks like you clearly know better than I do. I mean you _were _there."

Meredith took a deep breath in and slowly let it flow out.

"Alright," she finally said. "Is it because I blamed this on myself?"

"You're getting there," Mr. Yang said, nodding for Meredith to go on.

"Is it because… I don't know. I guess-

"Don't guess," Mr. Yang commanded. "You have to know."

"Well this is so hard!" Meredith complained. "It's not fair. Look, I get what you want me to do, but I just can't do it. I mean… I want to go back to my body. Isn't that enough?"

"But do you?" Mr. Yang asked.

"What?" Meredith questioned.

"Do you really want to go back to earth?"

"Of course I do! What kind of question is that?" Meredith demanded.

"You tell me," Mr. Yang said.

"Stop doing that! Of course I want to go back to earth! I have to see Derek, and Cristina, and Izzie, and Alex, and Lexie, and I have to make sure Alex and Lexie quit sleeping together!"

"That is a bad couple right there," George laughed, but when he found that nobody was laughing with him his laughing turned into slow chuckling and then he became quiet.

"Sorry," he murmured.

Mr. Yang nodded and went on. "Meredith what would be your reasoning that you wouldn't go back to earth?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You tell-

"Don't even say it!" Meredith yelled. "Look, I have to get back to earth and see Derek." Meredith paused as she felt something inside of her seem to fall apart.

"Think back to the accident again," Mr. Yang said.

Meredith's lip quivered but she did as she was told. For some reason the same words kept flashing through her mind.

"_Derek, where are we going... Come on where are you taking me?_

And suddenly the sound the splitting medal cut through her mind.

"Derek!" Meredith screamed. "No! I shouldn't have bothered him! That's all I ever do! If I go back I could hurt him…" Meredith froze for a second as realization hit and she gasped before whispering the last word. "Again."

"So you don't want to go back to earth?" Mr. Yang questioned.

"What if he gets hurt again?" Meredith murmured. "I don't want to go back if I can make him wind up in the hospital again. He had a _collapsed lung_! I did that to him! I kept bugging him! It was me! And I don't want to hurt him again! I love him more than my own safety."

"Bingo," Mr. Yang snapped his fingers. "Now take care of my Cristina for me. Make sure she knows that I love her. O'Malley, why don't you take it from here."

"What?" Meredith was so confused as Mr. Yang vanished in thin air. "So that's why I can't go back?" she turned to George. "That's why I couldn't go back? Because part of me was too afraid?"

"You'd rather him be safe then be alive," George said. "But think about it Meredith. It wasn't your fault. It was a freak accident. They happen!"

Meredith slowly walked over to George and he wrapped his arms around her.

"And I don't want to leave you again," Meredith cried.

"I know," George said.

"But I have to get back. I know it wasn't entirely my fault. Now why can't I get back? Is it too late?"

"I don't know," George said, pulling away and looking at his friend sadly.

* * *

Derek was tired of waiting. He couldn't do it any longer. "Richard!" Derek called. "Dr. Webber!"

He sighed after waiting a minute and hit the button to call a nurse in.

One was in there within the next minute and Derek smiled. "I want to see my wife," he said calmly.

"You should get some rest."

"I have been in a hospital bed for the past few days. Now I want to see my wife."

The nurse sighed and walked out and came back in with a wheel chair. She helped Derek into it and pushed it to Meredith's room.

Derek looked away sadly when he saw her. "She looks even worse than before."

"You should prepare yourself," the nurse said, pushing him to Meredith's bedside.

Derek took Meredith's hand into his own and realized how pale and weak she looked. Her hand felt so fragile.

"Please don't die on me," Derek whispered and felt a lump form in his throat. "Please," he whispered as a tear rushed down his cheek. "Pl- please don't die. I can't live without you. I'll become all dark and twisty without you."

He sucked in a shaky breath and leaned over to put his head against Meredith's chest. "I love you _so_ much," Derek cried. "Please don't l-leave me. I'll be broken. How can I be the chief without my wife? I can't do anything without you Meredith."

He cried into her chest for a long time before finally pulling away and looking at her face. He stroked her hair for a moment and brushed it away from her face with his fingers.

"I love you Meredith grey," he whispered. "I always have and I always will."

Derek leaned over and kissed her for a moment before pulling away.

* * *

Cristina walked up to where Meredith's room with Owen by her side and her lip quivered at what she saw.

Derek was being wheeled out of the room and noticed Cristina on his way out.

He was crying and she knew that that wasn't a very good sign.

Cristina looked up at Owen and said, "Could you wait here please? I have to do this on my own."

Owen nodded, looking upset at how sad Cristina was. She had cried on the plane ride home after they stopped at the hospital and she had gotten stitches in her forehead.

Cristina slowly walked in and froze at once as she saw all of the bandages and cuts. Meredith looked like a broken patient, not herself. She reminded Cristina of one of those patients where they tell the families that they need to be ready for what's coming. She looked like a patient that was going to die.

"Oh my God," Cristina whispered through tears. She took a step forwards and sat down in the chair next to Meredith's bed. "Oh Mer," she cried. "Oh God… don't die please!"

* * *

Meredith was standing with George as her breathing slowly went back to normal again and she stopped crying almost altogether. It was then that she heard voiced picking up through the air.

"_Please don't die on me."_

"Derek?" Meredith gasped.

"_Please. Pl- please don't die. I can't live without you. I'll become all dark and twisty without you. I love you so much. Please don't l-leave me. I'll be broken. How can I be the chief without my wife? I can't do anything without you Meredith. I love you Meredith grey. I always have and I always will."_

Meredith began crying again. She couldn't help it. That was _her_ Derek speaking to her.

Suddenly she heard another voice.

"_Oh my God. Oh Mer," the voice cried. "Oh God… don't die please!"_

"Cristina?" Meredith's breathing quickened and the tears came even faster. "I have to get back!" she cried. "They need me! They said it! Derek said he can't live without me! I can't do this to him! I just c-can't!"

Out of nowhere Meredith noticed a strange light from somewhere far away. Did that mean she would live or die?

"George?" she gasped. But when she turned he was gone. "George!"

* * *

Alex walked past the bathroom that Izzie was showering in.

He hadn't known how to answer her question before. He had just told her that she should go and shower.

As he walked past the bathroom he heard a loud cry. He knocked on the door.

"Izzie?" he called. "Izzie!"

After she didn't answer Alex threw the door open and found Izzie sitting on the floor of the shower with her face buried into her knees and her arms wrapped around her knees. She wasn't wearing any cloths but he didn't care and he knew Izzie didn't either.

The state Izzie was in reminded him of when Rebecca was on the floor of the shower crying.

Alex slowly opened the door of the shower and put a hand on Izzie's shoulder.

"Iz," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

Izzie just cried harder and Alex stepped into the shower and bent down next to her and took her into his arms. His cloths became soaked through but he didn't care.

"Shh," he whispered into her ear.

Her crying slowly became less and less until she was just gasping in his arms.

"I ruined everything," she whispered.

"No you didn't," Alex assured her.

"But I lost you! I left and now you'll never want me back! And then I go ruining it again at the hospital! And Meredith's dying and-

"Shh," Alex cut her off. "You haven't lost me. You'll never lose me."

"But-

"No buts. Izzie you will never lose me. You know why?" Izzie shook her head against Alex's chest. "Because I love you," Alex murmured.

**A/N: So I'm sure you are wondering if Meredith is living or dying. Here is a spoiler for the next chapter. Derek is going to have a very big choice to make. If you want o find out what the choice is then review and I'll update! And I wanted to thank the people who have been reading my story so far. It means a lot to me that people are reading it. **

**Review, review, review.**


	11. Chapter 10: The Big Decision

**Chapter 10**

Cristina came running out of Meredith's room, horror struck. She couldn't seem to wrap her head around things. It was wrong. _Everything _was wrong!

She ran at full speed through the hallways as she gasped for breath. She literally _couldn't_ breathe. She felt like the world was coming at her too rapidly.

"_Cristina!"_ she heard someone's voice call. It sounded so far away, as if it was at the end of the hallway even though it came from right next to her. Her vision felt blurred with lights flashing in front of it and her ears were ringing.

She felt the walls closing in on her and the air supply become less and less until she reached the door to outside. She burst through it at high speed and tripped as she flew through the door.

She stumbled forwards and fell to the ground in the grass. It was soft yet scratchy against her skin. She started gasping for air and felt relief cloud her system as she just stayed on her hands and knees.

"Cristina!" the voice from before called again, but this time with more urgency to it.

It still sounded so far away as it continued to call her name.

Cristina still felt like she was going to pass out. Her head spun and she leaned over and put her head between to her knees to let the blood flow to her head.

"Cristina!" the voice now sounded louder as the lights in front of her eyes stopped flashing and her vision grew clearer. She found herself looking down at the grass. "Cristina!"

Cristina now felt enough power to move her head and reconnect with the world. She saw a blurry figure moving toward her and watched as it became clearer.

"Owen?" she croaked.

Owen ran over to her and kneeled down next to her, pulling her into his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "What happened? What's wrong?"

_What happened? What's wrong?_ Cristina thought. _**Everything!**_ She wanted to yell.

Images of Meredith's broken body flashed into her mind. Cristina suddenly felt her stomach lurch. "Oh," she squeaked.

"Cristina?"

Cristina threw her hands over her mouth and tried to pull out of Owen's grasp.

He just held her tighter. "No," Owen said. "I'm not letting you go until you talk to me."

Cristina thrashed her hands against him and threw her knee right where he wouldn't have wanted it.

"Ah!" Owen growled.

He released Cristina and doubled over in pain on the ground.

Cristina jumped up and couldn't find a trashcan. She settled for running over to a tree and she threw up, coughing drastically and holding onto the tree for support. She heard Owen moaning in pain from behind her as she continued to throw up.

When she could finally breathe and her stomach was lurching as much anymore she turned around to look at Owen.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, hoarsely. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I was trying to push you away so I wouldn't throw up on you."

Owen clenched his teeth and nodded his head. Cristina walked over to him and bent down next to him. "Need an icepack?" Cristina offered.

* * *

Derek watched as Richard and Owen walked into his room slowly. Owen looked as if he was limping a little bit.

But that wasn't what Derek was concerned about. It was the look on their faces. "She's dead isn't-

"No," Richard cut him off. "She's not dead."

Derek felt the relief wash through him. "Good. Then why is Owen limping?"

Owen looked away as if he were embarrassed. "I was hugging Cristina. She didn't feel good. She was trying to tell me. I didn't listen. She swung her knee… yeah you get the point."

"Ooh," Richard and Derek shuttered at the same time.

Owen nodded and stepped forwards. The way he moved caused him to grimace in pain.

Derek tried hard not to laugh for the first time in days.

"But we are here for a much more serious reason. So brace yourself."

"Is she dying?" Derek whispered. When they didn't answer right away Derek felt himself grow angry. "I'm going to think the worst," Derek warned.

"Derek please relax," Owen said.

Richard cleared his throat and stepped forward to present the news.

"Meredith is on life support and is basically living off of it. You have a choice," Richard said. "You can leave her on it or…

Derek's eyes widened. "No," he said. "If she still… if she can live… I mean…

"Derek," Richard said. "She will probably die either way."

"Probably?" Derek questioned the chief's words. "That means she still has a chance."

"Derek he's just being nice," Owen said softly.

"No," Derek whispered. "N-n-no."

He hid his face in his hands and began to sob.

* * *

Izzie slipped on the huge pajamas that Alex had lent her and walked out to meet Alex who was waiting in the hallway.

He smiled lightly and she made an attempt to smile back, but the task was nearly impossible.

"Are you feeling any better?" Alex asked.

Izzie shrugged. "Somewhat," she murmured. "When you said you loved me… were you just saying it to make me feel better?"

Alex shook his head. "No," he said, looking her straight in the eyes. "I love you. I. Love. You. I love you, I love you, I love you… Iz, how many times do I have to say it for you to believe me?"

Izzie looked into his eyes and saw that he was honestly telling the truth.

"I… believe you," Izzie said slowly. And then with more certainty she said, "I love you."

Alex smiled a warm smile and leaned in to kiss Izzie. She kissed him back and didn't push him away this time. They just kissed in each other's arms for a long time until Alex's cell phone rang.

He ignored it though.

It rang a second time.

He ignored it again.

It rang for the third time and Izzie slowly pushed him away. "Iz," Alex whispered.

"Pick it up it could be about Meredith," Izzie told him, feeling worried.

Alex sighed and groaned before grabbing the phone.

"Hello," he answered. Izzie watched his expression become one of confusion. "Dr. Bailey?" Alex said, bewildered.

"What?" Izzie asked, as shocked as Alex was.

Alex slowly continued talking. "No… no… she what? What the hell? No, there has to be something else they can do."

Izzie felt her stomach drop and she stood frozen in silence as Alex continued on the phone.

"But… no… Dr. Bailey… alright… we'll be right there."

Alex hung up the phone. Izzie stayed where she was and braced herself for what Alex might tell her.

"Alex-

"We have to get to the hospital," Alex said, grabbing his shoes and making his way out of the room.

"What is it?" Izzie asked. She grabbed Alex's shoulder as she chased him down the stairs.

"It's Meredith," he said after a long moment. "Derek doesn't want her to suffer any longer. They're taking her off of life support."

Izzie grabbed her shoes on the way to the door. "Oh my gosh," she whispered, shocked with the news.

* * *

Meredith ran down the hallways as far away from the light as she could be. "George!" she screamed. "Help me! Help me please!"

"_I love you Meredith,"_ a voice came from somewhere far away. _"And I am so sorry that I have to do this."_

"Derek?" Meredith whispered.

"_I love you Meredith,"_ the voice cried. _"Please, please, please always know that. And forgive for what I have agreed to do. I didn't want you to be in pain any longer."_

"What?" Meredith whispered to herself, turning and seeing that the life had found it's way even closer to her. "Don't want me to be in pain… oh no Derek you didn't!" Meredith shrieked as tears found her eyes.

"I'm afraid he did," George's voice came from behind her.

"What does the light mean?" Meredith shrieked.

"What do you want it to mean?" George asked.

* * *

Derek sat next to Meredith in her hospital room. Izzie and Alex stood on the other side of her bed and Cristina stood at the bottom of it. Lexie and Mark stood behind Derek. Lexie was hysterical. Miranda and Richard stood by the door. Everyone had tears in her eyes. Cristina was frozen and Derek was heartbroken.

"I love you Meredith," Derek cried. "And I am so sorry that I have to do this. I love you Meredith," he said again. "Please, please, please always know that. And forgive for what I have agreed to do. I didn't want you to be in pain any longer."

Owen stood next to Derek. Derek took a shaky breath and nodded toward Owen who slowly took Meredith off of the life support.

"I love you," Derek whispered yet again and sobbed quietly as he watched the heart monitor change.

Yet something happened that none of them expected

**A/N: Does Meredith live… or does she die? Review to find out.**


	12. Chapter 11: Miracles Can Happen

**Chapter 11**

Meredith stared ahead into the light. "George," she whispered. "What's happening?"

She stepped towards the light but George grabbed her arm. "What did I tell you about walking toward the light?" he snapped.

"But you said it could mean whatever I want it to. I want it to mean that I will live.

"That's not what I meant Meredith."

"Then what does it mean?"

"You need to figure it out for yourself."

* * *

Derek was shocked. Meredith's heart beat grew slower but it didn't go straight down like everybody expected. It was beating on it's own.

* * *

"Why does everybody expect to get this right?" Meredith shrieked. "You and Cristina's dad both expect that I'll automatically know what to do. Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because I'm only here to guide you back," George told her. "I'm here to help, but I can't do the work for you."

"But when I drowned-

"You wanted to die. Denny and your mother, they just helped you to understand that you need to live."

* * *

Cristina's mouth fell open. "How is this possible?" she gasped as Meredith's heartbeat seemed to grow just a little stronger.

It wasn't much; she thought she was just imagining things for a moment, but she knew it was true when it happened again.

* * *

Meredith sucked in a deep breath. "Why can't you just tell me George?"

"Because."

"What kind of answer is that?" Meredith demanded.

"Meredith for a moment just forget where we are."

"What?" Meredith gasped through tears.

"Look at me," George said. "It's just me and you. I'm not dead. We're in the hospital, just two friends, just like it's always been."

"George I can't."  
"Do it for everyone who loves you, for Cristina, for Derek… for me."

Meredith looked at George and tried to pretend they were back at the hospital at the light got closer to them.

* * *

Owen didn't understand how her heart could get any stronger, even if it was just a little bit. "What the hell?" he gasped.

* * *

Meredith closed her eyes and hung her head. "How can I pretend that you are alive George… after everything that has happened?"

"Just look at me," George said.

"But the army jacket that you're wearing…

She opened her eyes to see George taking off the army jacket. Her let it slide to the ground and it disappeared.  
Meredith smiled a half smile and focused in on George, only on George. "Or just pretend that I'm someone you like."

"But I like you George," Meredith said. "I love you. Well you know, not in that kind of way, but in the friend kind of-

"I get it," George said softly.

Meredith nodded and took a breath, focusing on George through her blurry, teary eyes.

_Pretend he never died,_ she thought._ We are interns again. We are friends. And whether he's dead or not he's George. He always has been and he always will be_.

Meredith smiled as she felt the pain disappear as she focused on only George. And for that moment it was just the two of them.

He was George, and dead or not Meredith would always love her friend.

* * *

Meredith's heart began to get lower again and Derek felt his heart sink as well. Meredith's would just stop beating.

Derek's would break.

And it would never be healed.

* * *

Meredith felt her breathing become calm once again and she reached out and took George's hand.

"What do I do now?" she asked softly.

"Think," George said. "What would let you get back?"

Meredith closed her eyes and just thought back. She remembered George mentioning that her body had to be healthy enough.

But what she didn't realize was that he meant physically and mentally.

"I'm in control of my body," Meredith said. "I get to decide whether I live or not!"

George smiled. "And that's what I was trying to tell you all along."

* * *

Derek didn't understand what was going on in the least bit. "You said she would probably die in a minute!" Derek accused Owen.

"I thought she would," Owen said.

"You said she was in pain!"

"But she would have been in the coma with that brain damage-

"So is she going to live?" Derek cut Owen off, staring intently at Meredith's bandaged face. "Am I going to get my wife back?"

Meredith's eyes widened as she looked at George.

"So all this time… that's what you have been trying to tell me?"

"That is," George said.

"So why couldn't you just say that?" Meredith asked.

"Because if I told you then you wouldn't have believed it as much, rather than coming to the realization yourself. Look how confident you were when you said that."

Meredith opened her mouth but shut it again and stood there just staring at George.

"So do I get to live?"

"You tell me," George said.

Meredith socked him in the arm and smiled slightly. "Yes," she said. "I have decided that I will do my best to live. I _want_ to live. I want o be with Derek. And now the light is coming closer to me. What does that mean? What-"

Meredith broke off mid sentence and stumbled forwards with a new found force.

"I just got stronger. Have they taken me off of life support yet?" Meredith gasped.

George nodded. "Yes," he sighed. "Your body is holding on because you are but I don't know how long it will last for."

Meredith felt the tears rising again. She had never cried this much! But she _had _to cry. This was about seeing Derek again.

"George-

"Mer, you can do this. I know you can. You're Meredith Grey for goodness sake! You can do anything you want. Don't give up so freaking easily!"

Meredith's eyes grew wide with shock and then she finally got a hold of herself.

"You're right George! _You're right_!"

* * *

Owen didn't know how to answer Derek's question.

More than likely Meredith would die. As he looked around the room he could see the hope on everybody's faces. Tears were streaming down Cristina's face.

Izzie and Alex were holding each other's hands tightly and grasping onto each other as if it meant that it would save any hope left. Lexie's mouth was open slightly, as if she was surprised and Mark's mouth hung wide open as if he was in complete and utter shock.

Derek stared at Meredith and kept stroking Meredith's hand.

But suddenly her heart beat began to get slower.

"No," Derek whispered, broken.

* * *

Meredith's breathing quickened as she watched the light travel even faster.

She turned towards the light but quickly backed up. "I'm afraid," she admitted.

When she turned around though George was gone again. "George?" Meredith shrieked. "How can I leave if you aren't here?"

"He'll be back," another voice said.

"Mom?" Meredith whispered as she slowly turned.

"You can do this Meredith Grey. I have faith in you," Ellis said.

Meredith walked forwards and hugged her mom tightly. "I love you," Meredith whispered.

"Okay, this is starting to get cheesy," Ellis said, pushing Meredith away. She then stopped for a second and her expression became softer when she saw Meredith's look of disappointment. "But I love you too," Ellis said and Meredith could tell that she was telling the truth.

Meredith swatted her mom's hands away from her shoulders and quickly pulled Ellis to her again.

Ellis hugged her back for a moment before she vanished and Meredith stumbled forwards and stopped herself just in time so she wouldn't fall through the light.

"So this is really goodbye," a voice said from behind her, full of disbelief.

Meredith turned and she felt a huge lump grow in her throat. She felt her body shaking slightly as she realized what was about to happen.

She was about to _really_ say goodbye to George, and never see him again.

Meredith felt her breath becoming short as she let out a loud cry.

"Oh George!" she cried.

George's eyes were red and tears were forming in them slightly. She ran forward and into George's arms and she felt his arms pull her small body to his larger one.

She didn't want to pull away. She couldn't leave him again. She clung to him as if her life was on the line… well it was.

George's body shook and Meredith realized he was crying as well.

After a minute George grabbed Meredith's shoulders and plied her away forcefully as if he wouldn't be able to let go if he didn't.

"Now listen here Meredith Grey," he told her. "You know how you already thought you would never see me again but you got to?" Meredith nodded. "Well that proved that I am still alive… well at least my spirit is."

Meredith nodded and then said, "George… I've wondered what I would say if… if I ever really got to say goodbye instead of being surprised. I've thought it over in my head, I've imagined… I knew what I would have said, and now I am drawing a total blank."

"Well, tell me when you remember. You're forgetting that I'll be able to hear you."

Meredith nodded. "Okay," she smiled ever so slightly but then it faded. "How different is it?" she asked. "Being dead I mean."

"Well… it's different," George admitted and chuckled a sad chuckle. "Listen, a while back I heard Izzie say that she wanted a tumor so she could see me like she was seeing Denny. Could you just tell her that I say hi, and that I love her, you know as a best friend?"

"She might freak out," Meredith warned her.

"She might," George said. "But can you at least just make sure that she knows? And make sure that she will stay with Alex. He's good for her. He loves her and she loves him."

Meredith nodded. "Take care of Doc," she said.

George smiled. "Of course."

"George… you know that I love you right?" Meredith asked.

"I might," George joked.

"Well I love you," Meredith smiled.

"And I love you too," George said. "You are one of my best friends and I will always will. Just know that okay? And every time you are a hard time just talk to me okay? Even if I can't respond I can still hear you and I will always be right there next to you?"

"Always?" Mer asked and grimaced slightly. "Even when Derek and I are… you know. Or when I'm in the shower? Or the bath, because Denny knew when I had sunk under in the bath that one time."

"We just know about that stuff. I'll be there when you need me. Every once and a while I will be able to sense you there beside me and if you are lucky…

"I'll sense you?" Meredith asked, hopefully.

George nodded and smiled and Meredith wrapped her arms around him one more time. "Good bye George," she said, feeling a sob start in her throat.

It ripped through her and she clung to George as tightly as she could and George held her tightly to. When she turned her face she realized the light was so close it was nearly touching her.

"Now go!" George said.

Meredith kissed George's cheek as they both cried together and then slowly pulled away.

George sucked in a deep breath and didn't even try to hold himself together or be brave for Meredith.

It was just them just like it always used to be.

"Goodbye," Meredith cried again, one last time.

"Goodbye," George said back. He smiled a half smile.

Meredith tried to smile but failed miserably.

She slowly turned to face the light which was nearly touching her face. "Please work," she whispered.

She stepped forwards into the light and slowly felt it engulf her. She slowly came to realize that that was the last time she would ever see George in this lifetime.

* * *

Derek sobbed drastically.

Meredith's heartbeat was so weak. Everyone had given up hope a few minutes ago. Her heart was so slow and it was nearly a flat line when something that nobody expected happened.

The heart beat slowly became stronger. The beeping became louder and more often.

Derek's cries that had filled the room only a moment ago froze and became nothing.

Everyone stared at Meredith's heartbeat.

"What the hell?" Owen gasped again.

Cristina let out a sudden laugh of joy that she couldn't help. Izzie and Alex who had held each other as they cried froze in each other's arms. Lexie's tear stained face was frozen in shock and mark was even more shocked then she was.

Meredith's heartbeat was so strong that it was even stronger than when she was on life support.

Derek tried not to get his hoped up considering her heartbeat was all over the place. But it didn't seem that way now.

As her heartbeat became even stronger a slow mumbling came from Meredith's mouth.

"Did she just speak?" Izzie gasped.

"Meredith did you say something?" Cristina spoke right to Meredith.

But Derek froze, unable to speak a word.

"G-George," Meredith whispered.

Now everybody froze.

And what happened next allowed Derek to realize that miracles really could happen.

Meredith's eyes fluttered open and stared at the ceiling before roaming the room.

**A/N: Okay, so this story is coming to an end soon. As you all can see Meredith does live. I could never make her die. But I didn't want to spoil the ending so I let you all believe what you wanted to believe. Either way… what do you guys think of this chapter and the rest of the story for that matter now that it will end soon.**

**SO REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW… OH YEAH… _PLEASE_ REVIEW AND THEN I'LL UPDATE!**


	13. Chapter 12: A New Chance

**Chapter 12**

Previously

_And what happened next allowed Derek to realize that miracles really could happen._

_Meredith's eyes fluttered open and stared at the ceiling before roaming the room._

* * *

Meredith's eyes roamed the room. She saw Izzie and Alex staring at her with wide eyes, Owen and Mark in complete shock, Lexie in tears, Cristina with an excited look on her face, Richard with wide eyes, and… Derek.

His face was covered in tears and he held Meredith's hand tightly in his own.

For a moment she was so confused.

She blinked once and looked up at Derek. She saw the scars on his face and it immediately all came back to her. _Derek, the car, the crash, George… George!_

It came rushing back so fast that it made her head spin and she started coughing drastically.

"Meredith?" Derek whispered.

Meredith slowly caught her breath. "D-Derek?" she croaked.

Derek let out a loud shout of joy and Meredith bounced in surprise.

Everyone else in the room suddenly had a huge smile on their faces.

Meredith suddenly remembered one thing that she had been trying to ask. She gathered all the strength she had to ask.

"Derek," she whispered.

"Yes sweetheart?" Derek asked, holding her hand to his chest.

"Where were you taking me?" she asked.

"W-what?"

"In the car, before we crashed, where were you taking me?"

Derek couldn't help but smile slightly in surprise. For being out for days Meredith was sure… aware.

"I was taking you to the clearing; you know the land I own. We were going to picnic where we will eventually build our house."

Meredith smiled. "That would have been nice," she whispered.

Everyone was silent for a moment before Izzie let out a burst of laughter. "You were dying and then you lived! You lived! And George, he died! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Izzie nearly fell over laughing. Alex took her arm and led her out of the room slowly.

Meredith watched as Mark whispered something to Lexie and slowly pulled her out of the room. Richard stared at her as he slowly made his way to the door and outside the window where the rest waited. Miranda followed him out and Meredith could see her grasp onto the side of the door to keep her balance on the way out.

"You didn't die," Cristina whispered.

Meredith's eyes flashed to her. "No," she whispered and smiled ever so slightly. "Got any marriages to tell me about?" Cristina looked confused. "Don't you remember that that's the first thing you told me when I drowned?"

Cristina's eyes widened.

"Let's give them some space," Owen said, slowly pulling Cristina from the room.

"No, wait," Mer heard Cristina say.

Meredith looked up to Derek then. They were the only to left.

She slowly reached forwards and touched the tears on his face with her finger. She wiped them away with shaky fingers and Derek pulled both of his hands up and caught her hand within them. He brought it to his mouth and kissed the palm once before holding it to his forehead and closing his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Meredith whispered.

"Are you?" Derek asked her.

"I was dying," Mer said.

"How much _do_ you remember?" Derek asked her.

"We were in the car. We crashed. It sucked. But are you okay? I wasn't the only one in the accident. You've got bandages too, and broken bones and you had a collapsed lung."

Derek froze and his eyes met Meredith's. "How do you know that?" he asked.

"I saw you. Do you remember?" Derek cocked his head to the side. "You know… the light? We were in it. Derek?"

Derek shook his head.

"I could have just been dreaming," Meredith said, knowing very well that it wasn't a dream. She pulled her hand out of Derek's and ran it over the bandage on his head.  
"You got hurt," Meredith whispered.

"And so did you," Derek said. "You nearly died Meredith. Do you get that?"

"Yeah," Meredith said. "You should be proud of me. I fought to get back."

"But how did you… I am proud of you," Derek whispered.

"And I forgive you," Meredith said.

"W-What?"

"You kept begging me to forgive you for unplugging me. I will always forgive you. I love you."

"I love you too," Derek said.

Meredith stared at him for a minute. She knew he couldn't keep himself together. She could tell by the way his voice trembled and by the way his lips quivered.

Meredith scooted over and patted the bed next to her. "I- I can't…

"Derek," Mer whispered in a weak voice. "I've been in a coma for days. I haven't been able to hold you for that long."

Derek opened his mouth to object but finally gave up and slowly pulled himself out of the chair and onto the edge of the bed.

Meredith sat up against the pillows as best she could and Derek pulled himself closer to her.

He couldn't help but rest his head against her chest. Meredith ignored the pain she felt as she held herself up against the pillows.

"Stop trying to be brave for me," she told Derek. "I don't care if you cry."

Derek tried to hold himself together for another moment but gave up and began shaking with sobs.

Meredith ran her fingers through his hair as he sobbed into her chest.

"Shh," Meredith whispered. "I'm okay. I'm alive."

"I th-thought you would d-die." Derek cried.

Meredith kissed his head and sighed, "I know."

* * *

Cristiana sighed as she, Alex, and Izzie stared through the window into Meredith's room.

She had fallen asleep and Derek was lying next to her. She had watched as he cried into her chest and eventually when she fell asleep he pulled her further down into the pillows and held her.

"Unbelievable," Izzie whispered.

"She ceases to surprise me," Cristina smiled.

Alex pulled Izzie to his chest. "We should go home," he said. "She needs her rest. We can visit her tomorrow morning. Nobody's at Meredith's. We have the _whole_ house to our self."

Izzie was about to object but shook it off and wrapped her arms around Alex and buried her face into his chest.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Alex whispered back.

Izzie turned to Cristina. "See you tomorrow," she said.

Cristina nodded. "Sure," she murmured.

Izzie and Alex walked away.

Owen walked up behind Cristina at that moment. "So I take it we aren't leaving the hospital tonight?"

Cristina nodded. "Yeah."

"Want to crash in the on-call room? You need your sleep."

"Do we have to sleep right away?" Cristina questioned. "I'm not very tired."

Owen smiled. "Come on," he said.

He turned and walked in the direction of the on-call room on that floor.

Cristina stopped for one second and took another look at Meredith before whispering, "Thank you daddy."

* * *

Lexie hugged her knees to her chest as she sat in a chair in the waiting area.

"She lived," Mark said, walking up to her. "Nobody knows how."

He sat down next to Lexie. She just shook her head. "Meredith almost died today," she whispered. "And you were mad at me."

"I'm sorry Lex," Mark sighed. "We were both wrong. I love you."

"C-can I come home with you?" Lexie asked.

Mark nodded.

* * *

Meredith woke up that night in the darkened room after having a strange dream. Derek was sound asleep and holding Meredith to him. Meredith stared out at the sky.

She finally had time to think. She remembered George and everything that happened and suddenly felt the urge to talk to him again as she remembered what she wanted to tell him when she said goodbye.

She was about to sigh and let it go until she remembered what George had said.

"_Well, tell me when you remember. You're forgetting that I'll be able to hear you."_

"Hey George," Meredith whispered. "I remembered what I wanted to say. I just want you to know that no matter what happens you will always have a place in all of our hearts. You were one of the five interns. The five kick-ass interns." Mer smiled sadly. "And even though you will be gone now… it doesn't make me think any less of you. It just makes me miss you." Meredith stared out the window into the darkened night and sighed. "I really wish there were some way… maybe you could give me a sign that you just heard all of that."

Suddenly a shooting star burst through the sky and Meredith gasped in surprise. She wiped a tear away from her eye and smiled.

"Thanks George," she whispered. "Goodnight."

Derek stirred in his sleep then and his eyes opened as he took in his surroundings.

"Hey," he whispered. "Are you crying?"

Meredith hid her face in his shoulder. "I'm fine," she whispered.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"Honestly… I was dreaming about the old days… when we were interns. I dreamt that I was talking to George."

"Aw," Derek whispered. "It's okay."

"He's alright," Meredith whispered. "I just know… he's happy now, wherever he is."

* * *

Callie lay in her bed, hugging her arms around her pillow and sleeping.

Her day was horrible.

She lost two of her patients and Meredith Grey was being taken off of life support.

She couldn't shake the feeling that if she had never wished for a patient that maybe Meredith and Derek wouldn't be in that situation.

Just then she awoke to the sound of the door being burst open. Arizona came running through and into the bed room.

"What?" Callie snapped. "I was sleeping."

"Meredith Grey-

"She's dead isn't she?" Callie cut Arizona off.

"No," Arizona said as she continued to catch her breath. "She woke up."

* * *

Cristina walked into Meredith's hospital room and walked over and sat on the edge of her bed.

Derek was sitting in the chair next to Meredith's bed.

"Derek," Meredith said. "Can we...

Derek smiled and kissed Meredith's head before he tried to move himself out of his chair. Cristina noticed his struggling and walked over to help him up.

"Here," she said. "Let me help you."

Derek allowed Cristina to help him out of the chair and into his wheel chair.

She wheeled him out of the room and to Owen who was outside the door.

Owen smiled at Derek. "How did you sleep? Any bed dreams?"

"I slept well and didn't dream," Derek said. "But when I woke up… just seeing her awake and healthy, that's a dream come true."

"Aw," Cristina said in a fake impressed voice. "Someone reads poetry."

Owen elbowed her. "Come on," he said to Derek. "I'll get you breakfast."

Cristina walked back into Meredith's room. "Hey person," she said.

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Alright I'm ready."

"For what?"

"To hear you have to complain about."

"Hey," Cristina protested. "I… yeah okay. So Owen wants me to move in with him and-

"I knew you would have something to talk about," Meredith cut Cristina off with a laugh.

"Hey, it's your person responsibilities," Cristina said and went on with what she was saying.

* * *

Izzie walked into Meredith's room, wearing her cloths that she had worn with her when she had come to Seattle in the first place.

Alex and put them in the washing machine and given them to her in the morning.

Cristina and Meredith were laughing as if nothing happened. But it was clear by the bandages on her face that something did.

"Hey," Izzie said. "Can I talk to you for a minute Mer?"

Cristina groaned.

"Cristina," Meredith warned.

"Fine," Cristina muttered, getting up and walking away.

"How are you feeling?" Izzie asked.

"Like we drove into a tree and I broke some ribs and dislocated a shoulder and got stitches."

"So pretty crappy?"

"Physically yes, mentally I am beaming. Well sort of."

Meredith sunk back into the pillows a little and let out a sad sigh.

"What is it?" Izzie asked, sitting down into a chair. "What's wrong?"

"I miss George," Meredith admitted.

"Why now?" Izzie asked. "Does this have something to do with why you said his name when you first woke up?"

Meredith looked at Izzie and went on, ignoring the question and asking a new one. "When you coded that one time… you said you had a dream. Can you tell me about it?"

Izzie was confused but answered anyway. "I was on an elevator wearing my prom dress and going to see Denny again. But when the elevator opened… George was on the other side. He was wearing his army outfit and he had a buzz cut. He looked very handsome, a cute little army doctor." Izzie was smiling but it slowly faded. She had a faraway look as she went on. "I smiled at him and he smiled at me. But then I heard a strange shocking sound and screaming coming from somewhere below me. I looked down and then back at George and our smiles faded. The dream was so… clear. I remember almost every detail."

"Iz," Meredith whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "It… it wasn't a dream."

"W-what?" Izzie stuttered.

"Izzie," Meredith said, sitting up and looking her straight in the eyes. "George says hi."

**A/N: So I am going to have an all George epilogue but I don't know if I want to have one more chapter first. I can't decide. What do you guys think?**

**Please review. I have been updating nearly every day but that's because I felt like I wanted to since you guys were reviewing so much. It makes me want to write more. So please review and I'll update.**


	14. Chapter 13: Happy With You Near

**Chapter 13**

It had been a few days since Meredith had woken up. Everyone was thrilled and Meredith was more than happy that she made it back but… she missed George.

For some reason she really felt the need to talk to him. She had Cristina, Derek, Izzie, and every once and a while Alex to talk to. But she missed talking to George.

He was always so dorky and sweet. He was her friend. She just wanted to talk to him one more time.

But as much as she longed to speak to George all of her worries nearly melted away when Derek held her in his arms.

The only problem was that Owen would not let Derek sleep in her room every night. He had said that they both needed to heal on their own during the night. But Meredith knew that Derek wouldn't have that.

* * *

Derek glared at the ceiling angrily. Owen _so_ unfair! He wouldn't let Derek see Meredith during the night. But what he didn't understand was that Derek _could not_ sleep without Meredith next to him.

So he slowly slipped out of bed and snuck into the hallway. "Freeze!" the nurse stopped him. "Where do you think you are going?"

"Visiting my wife."

"Visiting hours is over."

"I'm the chief," Derek shot.

"Is that a threat?" the nurse shot back.

Derek looked up weakly. "She nearly died," he said softly. "I'm still afraid that if I close my eyes for one second that the next I will wake up to find her gone."

The nurse rolled her eyes. "I'll be back," she said slowly. "I'm going to grab some tea."

The nurse got up and walked away and Derek spotted the steaming cup of hot tea on her desk.

He smiled and held the back of his hospital gown closed as he walked through the hallway. He found his way to Meredith's room eventually and slipped in quietly.

Meredith appeared to be up and Derek smiled. "Hi," he whispered. "I couldn't sleep."

"That makes two of us," Meredith whispered back, smiling.

She scooted over and Derek climbed into bed next to her. He flinched as his sore back knocked into the side of the bed.

"Are you alright?" Meredith asked immediately.

"Yeah, I'm just sore."

"I am too," Meredith said. "All over."

She cuddled up close to Derek and rested her head on his chest. "Maybe I will sleep better now," she murmured.

"I know I will," Derek chuckled.

* * *

Izzie walked into the kitchen where Alex was sitting at the table holding a full glass of milk.

"Hey," Izzie sighed, sitting down.

"I couldn't sleep," Alex murmured.

"So you came down here, got a glass of milk, and held it. Was that supposed to help you sleep?"

"It used to help my brother sleep when he was younger."

"But did he actually drink it?" Izzie giggled.

Alex smiled lightly and pushed the milk toward Izzie. "You can have it," he said.

"No thanks," Izzie smiled and pushed the milk back. "If you really want to sleep you should try some alcohol."

"Yeah, that's smart. I start with one drink which leads to two which leads to fifty. You'd wake up in the middle of the night to find me passed out on the kitchen floor."

"At least you'd be sleeping."

"Ha ha," Izzie said sarcastically.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sleeping and throwing up."

Izzie laughed and stood before walking over and sitting on Alex's lap and throwing her arms around his shoulders.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Alex sighed.

Izzie looked away, almost sadly.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"It's nothing… it's just… nothing."

"Izzie-

"Meredith told me that George says hi and that he will always love me… you know, as a best friend. She spoke to him Alex. She spoke to George and they talked. Which means… my dream was real. And I don't know if I was aloud to tell you that but I had to. I had to tell someone."

Alex opened his mouth to talk but was speechless. Izzie cuddled her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Izzie… she just woke up. She didn't know what she was saying."

"I think she did," Izzie murmured. "But… just come to bed okay."

Alex looked into Izzie's eyes and smiled his half smile. "'Kay," he said. "We'll talk more about this George thing tomorrow."

Alex slowly stood up, pulling Izzie off of him and then grabbing her and tossing her over his shoulder.

"Ah!" Izzie screamed. "What are you _doing_?"

"Carrying my wife to our bed," Alex said. "Now I better start walking before I drop her.

Izzie continued laughing and screaming as Alex ran up the stairs while holding her in his arms.

* * *

Cristina couldn't believe what she was doing. She stood in a graveyard alone. But she wasn't visiting her father.

"Hello O'Malley," she said. "I know we weren't exactly the best of friends but nevertheless… I miss you George. You were never mean to me but I was an ass to you, and I always thought of us as friends in a way. I just wanted to say that. I-

"Cristina," Owen's voice came from behind her.

Cristina turned quickly and Owen caught the tears in her eyes. "What are you doing here?" Cristina asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Owen said.

"I was visiting a friend," Cristina said.

"O'Malley?"

"I just think that he probably doesn't get many visitors. I mean… who has the time?"

Owen walked slowly over to Cristina.

"I didn't think I cared," Cristina said slowly. "I didn't think it bothered me so much. But watching Meredith nearly die just made me think." Cristina's voice began to shake. "George O'Malley died. How weird is that? He was my age. He died because he was hit by a bus! He died!"

"I know," Owen said.

He walked forwards slowly and took Cristina into his arms. He held her tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I'm so stupid," Cristina cried.

"No you are not," Owen told her, pulling her back to look into her eyes. "It's okay to have emotions. You are only human."

"But I am Cristina Yang. I _don't_ cry!"

"That's what you want people to believe so they won't think of you as soft. It's only me Cristina. Let me through to your world. Let me through to you."

"Why don't you let _me_ through? You have all of this past that I hardly know about. You worked in the army and every once and a while you don't even know where you are."

"I've been going to therapy," Owen said.

"But I hardly know anything of your army past besides the basics. What about stories of your life there? I want to know."

"Alright," Owen sighed. "Let's go home and I'll start from the beginning."

Cristina nodded and they turned around and headed out of the graveyard. "Wait," Cristina said, quickly turning around and running to George's grave. "Bye George," she said. "It was nice to speak to you again, even if you can't respond. Goodbye. I'll visit when I get a chance."

Cristina turned around and ran back to Owen. He held his arms open and held her to his chest when she met up with him.

They turned and walked to the car together, in each other's arms.

"I love you," Cristina said.

"Love you too," Owen said back.

* * *

Callie woke up to the phone ringing and slowly reached over to grab it.

"Whoever this is just woke me up from a very much needed sleep," she grouched into the phone.

"Callie…

"Sloan? Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I've been staying at a hotel but don't have enough money to stay much longer. I'm not asking for more money… but what should I do?"

"Come home to your dad. He loves you and misses you very much."

* * *

Lexie woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Mark," she whispered. "Mark!"

Mark let out a loud snore and Lexie sighed, standing up and grabbing her bathrobe.

She walked out of the room and up to the front door. She pulled it open and was shocked at what she saw.

"Sloan?" she gasped.

There was Mark's daughter, standing there with her arms wrapped around her pregnant belly.

"Lexie?" she whispered.

Lexie smiled slightly as the shock began to subside and stepped out of the way, motioning into the house.

"It's nice to see you again Sloan."

Just then Mark walked out of the room and his mouth dropped open.

"Sloan!" he exclaimed.

He ran forward and pulled her into a hug. "You came back."

"Yeah," Sloan said. "I missed you. And I am so freaking sorry!"

Lexie smiled.

"It's nice to have you back Sloan," she said.

Mark pulled Lexie into their hug suddenly and held them both tightly. "I love you guys _so_ much," he said. "Don't ever leave me again."

* * *

Miranda sat alone on a bench in front of the hospital when Richard walked outside and sat next to her on the bench.

"Hi," he muttered.

"I'm still trying to get over it. Seeing Meredith Grey alive after all that is unbelievable. I mean I'm happy and all but when I saw her today it blew my mind. Why couldn't O'Malley do that? I just… he's really dead."

"But Meredith made it. Everything happens for a reason. George dying made us all understand that we _don't_ live forever. And when Meredith nearly died everyone began to realize how true that is. Look at everyone now."

"But look at me. Who am I close with?"

"You have your son. And what about that doctor who you are dating?"

"Dr. Warren?"

"Yes."

"He… I guess you're right."

"I'm always right," Richard said softly but firmly.

"Well so am I," Miranda said.

"And one day maybe you will be chief. You are an incredible doctor Miranda."

"Thank you," Miranda whispered.

Richard nodded and patted Miranda's shoulder before standing up and walking away.

Miranda stood then and walked inside, planning to go and see Dr. Warren before going home and holding her son.

* * *

Meredith woke up slowly as the light shown upon her face, wrapped in Derek's arms. "Mer," Derek whispered in her ear. "Are you up?"

"I don't know," Meredith joked, smiling.

"Then what do you know?"

"I know that I love you, more than anything else in this world."

"And I love you too," Derek said.

She realized then that even thought George was dead didn't mean he was gone. The light shining through the window reminded her of when she came back to earth through the light and how they

hugged goodbye.

She finally understood what George meant when he said he was always with her. It meant that he would always be in her heart.

**So there is still the short all George epilogue coming up. It won't take me long to write but I want more reviews first. I haven't been getting as many reviews as I have lately. So please, please, please review. I love writing this story and I hope you love reading it.**

**Review! Oh right… PLEASE REVIEW!**


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue **

George watched as Meredith walked through the light, tears rinsing down his face.

He watched as she awoke and watched everybody's reactions. But a pang of hurt hit him as he did so.

He saw Meredith give Izzie his message and Izzie went speechless.

He watched as Cristina went to visit him at the graveyard._"Hello O'Malley_," Cristina had said. _"I know we weren't exactly the best of friends but nevertheless… I miss you George. You were never mean to me but I was an ass to you, and I always thought of us as friends in a way. I just wanted to say that." _

He watched and listened patiently but there was still something missing that he couldn't seem to figure out.

He was happy that Meredith got back. He had done his job and she had survived.

Now she was back in Derek's arms and they could stay together.

Callie didn't feel guilty anymore and she and Arizona were as happy as could be.

Bailey realized that you only live once and began spending more time with her son and the doctor she was dating.

Izzie and Alex were together and happy.

Lexi and Mark were together as well and Mark had his daughter back.

George watched everybody get their happy ending. He watched them smile and cry and hold each other. He watched as everybody breathed a sigh of relief when they knew that Meredith would continue breathing.

Of course he now missed Meredith. He missed a lot of people. He missed Izzie, even Alex and Cristina.

But he knew that it was impossible to ever see them again.

But there seemed to be some kind of relief one Meredith gave Izzie his message.

Izzie knew he was still out there. Meredith knew he was in her heart. And when she had spoke to him in the hospital room while Derek slept George made a shooting star leap through the sky so she would know he was listening.

George slowly turned and began to walk back through the hallways, knowing his job had been done, knowing that everyone was happy, knowing that Meredith was alive, and knowing that he was deeply missed.

And for a moment he felt Izzie near him and felt her pause as she sort of felt him too.

But it ended just as soon as his life did. He. He was a little happy with the heroic way he had died. But he hardly got to live his life.

There had been one major thing bothering him as he entered the elevator which would take him back to heaven.

When he saw Meredith wake up with everybody surrounding her it made him very happy but something was seriously missing from his friends and the people he loved.

George finally realized what it was.

He should have been there.

**Sorry that the epilogue was short but it was meant to be short like the prologue. I seriously want to know what you guys thought of the whole story. I worked really hard on it and I hope you loved reading it as much as I loved writing it. And thank you to everyone who have read my story.**

**And I've thought of writing other storied where people see George. I want to know if you think I should.**

**So please review. **


	16. Authors Note

**Authors Note:**

**For everyone that has read this story you might want to check out my other story One More Little Moment. It's about Izzie getting a tumor and seeing George. **

**If you go into my profile you can see it there.**

**I would love to find out what you guys think of it. So if you read it it would be great if you reviewed.**


	17. Authors Note 2

If you like this story you can also check out my story _Obsessed gone crazy._


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